Irene Wrenner

What do you believe is the role of state government, if any, in ensuring that everyone living in Vermont has the food they need to thrive?

Hungry children cannot learn. Hungry laborers make mistakes. State government should partner with the federal government, as well as non-profit organizations, to make policy that encourages farms to stay in business, to grow a variety of foods that can help feed Vermont residents, to distribute their produce through sensible networks, etc.

What would be your policy priorities to move Vermont toward food security for all?

I served on the Senate Agriculture Committee for two years. My voting record shows my steadfast commitment to programs such as those mentioned above. I'm always open to hearing new ideas from those who are closest to the areas of research and policy advocacy. Having represented a rural district whose farms continue to be divided and sold off, whose herds are disappearing, and where a nearby creamery and a cheese factory both announced closures this month, I am acutely aware that we are headed for a crisis and must do all we can to avoid it.

What do you believe are the root causes of hunger, and what should the state do to address those underlying factors?

Money and wealth haven't "trickled down" over my lifetime, as some powerful players promised. Instead, big business has grown, consolidated wealth and, essentially, poisoned our food supply with an abundance of processed foods, containing unhealthy amounts of sugars, salt, additives, etc.

Fast food has made it easy for consumers to forget what some of us learned in Home Ec class: Find a recipe, buy local ingredients (whenever possible) and spend some time in the kitchen making wholesome, economical foods that are more filling and healthful than those commercially available.

The state should continue to support farmers, eco-tourism and Buy Local campaigns. The state should continue to fund Universal School Meals, 3 Squares, CropCash, etc., so that our students and workers can reach their potential at school and on the job, respectively. We should continue to adopt best practices from other states, as well as stay abreast of the findings from research institutions like UVM and incorporate them into creative proposals.

How would you help strengthen the state’s agriculture and food economy to ensure Vermont farms can continue to grow the food we all need?

When I served on the Senate Agriculture Committee, we funded a pilot program to test out electronic fencing. We provided funding to dairies that had suffered flood-related setbacks. We helped the Montpelier Farmers Market move to a better location, if memory serves. We encouraged the construction of safe, comfortable farmworker housing. We banned neonic seeds to help pollinators recover. We banned PFAS in certain goods and added restrictions on rodenticides. We worked on right to repair and right to farm bills, which our successors have taken up.

I also served on the Summer Study Committee on Ag Labor. Every committee tries to move the ball forward, even when we don't succeed in getting a law passed, or past the governor!

If elected, I would continue to do more of the same -- helping farms and their workers thrive so that residents can eat fresh, healthy foods that don't have to travel long distances.