Vermont Edition

Vermont Public

Vermont Edition brings you news and conversation about issues affecting your life. Host Mikaela Lefrak considers the context of current events through interviews with news makers and people who make our region buzz.

  1. 2 hrs ago

    The state of Vermont's dairy processing industry

    Vermont’s dairy industry has constricted dramatically over the last decade. According to data from UVM Extension, there were 838 dairy farms a decade ago. That number dropped to 414 at the start of this year. Current projects indicate that another 50 will close by the end of this year.  The processing sector is consolidating, too. Last month, Franklin Foods announced it’s closing its dairy processing facility in Enosburg Falls. The month before, the infant formula maker Perrigo laid off more than 160 people from its soon-to-be shuttered plant in Georgia. In April, the HP Hood dairy processing plant in Barre closed for good. This hour we look at dairy industry consolidation from local, state and national perspectives. Guests include: Anson Tebbetts, Vermont’s Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets; Kevin Kouri, chair of the Vermont Dairy Producers Alliance and the nutrition and sales director at Phoenix Feeds and Nutrition; and Claire Kelloway, the food systems program manager at the Open Markets Institute, a think tank focused on the negative impact of monopolies on the economy and democracy. We also talk with Jon Ovitt, the longtime plant manager at Franklin Foods in Enosburg Falls. The plant is set to shutter in August, but Ovitt has plans to reimagine the business and reopen it this fall. Broadcast on Monday, July 6th, 2026, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m. Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

    57 min

  2. 5 days ago

    About 150 Vermonters are incarcerated in Mississippi. Brave Little State explains why.

    About 150 Vermonters are incarcerated in Mississippi. Brave Little State explains why.

    50 min

  3. 6 days ago

    Town by Town: Middlesex

    Today is the latest installment in our monthly series, Town by Town. Each month, we hone in on a different town or municipality in the state.  This month, we're shining a light on Middlesex in Washington County. Fitting for a town with the word “middle” in its name, Middlesex is in central Vermont along I-89 and Route 2. It has a reputation as a commuter town where lots of people who live there work in Montpelier or elsewhere. Middlesex is situated on a bend in the Winooski River. That location in a floodplain led to major flooding in 1927. Middlesex now borders the Wrightsville Reservoir and the town co-manages Wrightsville Beach, a popular place for swimming, picnicking and hiking. To tell us all about Middlesex are Sarah Seidman and Patty Wiley, the co-founders of the Middlesex Historical Society and co-authors of the oral history Middlesex in the Making. Russ Bennet, founder and owner of NorthLand Visual Design and Construction, told us about developing property in Middlesex, including Camp Meade. We also heard from best selling-author and former Middlesex town clerk, Sarah Strohmeyer.  Broadcast on Tuesday, June 30, 2026, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m. Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

    50 min

  4. 6 days ago

    'I hate this, but that is our reality:' More layoffs coming for UVM Health

    UVM Health, Vermont’s largest health care provider, needs to reduce expenses by at least 300 million dollars over the next three years. That's the recommendation an independent liaison team sent to the hospital network and state regulators in May.  This comes on top of major revenue losses due to Medicaid changes.   This past month, 76 jobs were permanently eliminated earlier this month at UVM Health as part of an effort to reduce costs. Employee unions are concerned about providing adequate care and more reductions are likely.   Dr. Stephen Leffler, CEO of UVM Health and the president and COO of UVM Medical Center, joined Vermont Edition to talk about those job cuts, price increases and more. We also talked with the chair of the Green Mountain Care Board Owen Foster, who oversees the regulation of hospital budgets and health insurance premiums.

    50 min

  5. 25 June

    A new book on aging, a grunge band reunites, and more

    This hour, Vermont Edition brings you the stories of three creative people in our region and their new projects. We begin with Richard Hawley of Ripton. He recently celebrated the publication of the seventh volume of his series On My Way Out: A Reflection on Closure. A mixture of memoir, diary and philosophical musings, the book explores such topics as mortality, retirement and friendship. Musician and Champlain College art professor Al Larsen reunited his band Some Velvet Sidewalk for the first time in 30 years. The band, woven into the fabric of the Pacific Northwest's '90s grunge scene, has released a new album, Critters Encore. A month-long show of Larsen's artwork is also now on display at the Champlain College Art Gallery.  Artist and organizer Katherine Leungof Milton makes zines and other art that explore her Cantonese and Jewish identities. Leung is the creator of a new, six-part podcast called Ritual about Asian Jews in Vermont. The podcast was created with the support of Vermont Folklife, where Katherine is one of their inaugural communities fellows.  Broadcast on Thursday, June 25, 2026, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m. Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

    49 min

  6. 24 June

    Taking a swing at two types of golf in Vermont

    As it turns out, many people visit the Green Mountain state just to tee off here. We’ll parse over the numbers, and discuss how the golf industry is attempting to counter perceptions that it's not ecologically friendly and a sport just for the elite.  Joining us to discuss the sport are David Jankowski, president of the Vermont PGA, and Mark Finch, director of grounds at Country Club of Vermont and the vice president of the Vermont Golf Course Superintendents Association. If trying to get a small round ball into a cup isn’t quite your cup of tea, there’s also disc golf. Two of the premier courses in the country are in Vermont. To tell us more is Jeff Spring, the head of the Pro Disc Golf Tour, who also designed the Brewster Ridge course at Smuggler's Notch, and Aidan Trombley, the resort's manager of disc golf operations. Smuggler's Notch is a Vermont Public business sponsor. Broadcast on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m. Have questions, comments or tips? Send us a message or check us out on Instagram.

    50 min

  7. 23 June

    Vermont Edition At Home: Katherine Paterson

    In the latest installment of our series, Vermont Edition At Home, we head to the Montpelier home of writer Katherine Paterson.  The award-winning author has written more than 40 books, including The Great Gilly Hopkins, Jacob Have I Loved, Bread and Roses Too, among many others. Her best-known book, Bridge to Terabithia, was adapted into a Hollywood movie in 2007. Paterson is one of only six American authors to receive the Hans Christian Andersen Award. The Library of Congress named her a ‘Living Legend’ in 2000. Paterson tells us about her early life in China as the daughter of missionaries, grappling with the rush of success and making writer friends in Vermont. We’ll also hear how she balanced motherhood with a burgeoning literary career.

    48 min

  8. 22 June

    Vermont gets its first ever animal welfare director

    Earlier this year, Vermont’s first director of animal welfare, Lisa Milot, released a report on how the state responds to animal welfare and cruelty cases. She discussed plans to modernize the system, emphasizing the need for clearer standards, stronger enforcement and additional resources. We also heard from Medora Plimpton, who runs Howling Mountain Wildlife Rescue from her home in Starksboro. She is one of only a few people in Vermont licensed to work with rabies-vector species such as foxes, skunks and raccoons. Plimpton also shares what to do if you encounter an injured or baby animal.

    50 min
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About

Vermont Edition brings you news and conversation about issues affecting your life. Host Mikaela Lefrak considers the context of current events through interviews with news makers and people who make our region buzz.

Information

  • Creator
    Vermont Public
  • Years Active
    2006 - 2026
  • Episodes
    280
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Vermont Public
  • Show Website
    Vermont Edition

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