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New rules in VT means costly fixes for some farms

September 21, 2015, Swanton, VT — New rules aimed at reducing phosphorous runoff into Lake Champlain and other waterways mean expensive fixes for some small farms that will force them to make difficult decisions, including whether or not they stay in business.

Small farms haven’t had as much oversight as their larger counterparts, so the state is now surveying such operations in northwestern Vermont, mostly Franklin County, where toxic algae blooms have plagued parts of the lake, fed in part by phosphorus-laden runoff from farms. READ MORE