<p>EDGEWOOD, British Columbia - The Federal Court of Appeal has granted a temporary reprieve for nearly 400 ostriches at Universal Ostrich Farm in Edgewood, B.C., halting a planned cull ordered by the...

The Vermont Senate Committee on Agriculture reviewed draft language to restore exemptions for farming from municipal zoning after a Supreme Court decision, focusing on whether to set monetary thresholds at $2,000 or $5,000, whether to reduce the livestock acreage standard from 4 acres to 1, and how to handle small urban livestock.

Retired businessman‑turned‑farmer Paul Ralston and farmer Spencer Blackwell told the committee the miscellaneous agriculture bill should harmonize definitions across statutes, adopt measurable thresholds (including a $250,000 cap for accessory on‑farm businesses), and create a scaled farm‑kitchen category to avoid prohibitive ANR/Health requirements.

Legislative counsel walked the Senate Agriculture Committee through a lengthy miscellaneous agriculture bill that would: clarify municipal limits on regulating farming, raise thresholds for required agricultural practices, set a $250,000 accessory‑business permit threshold, add a $75 farm‑kitchen license, move the Vermont Agricultural Credit Program under VEDA, and add tax and energy‑siting provisions; the committee plans to vote on the draft tomorrow.

Legislators heard from legislative counsel about a Vermont Supreme Court ruling that read 'required agricultural practices' narrowly (focused on water quality), raising questions about municipal authority over farm structures, noise, composting and other local bylaws and prompting discussion of legislative or administrative fixes.