Brattleboro’s Agriculture Advisory Committee continues its efforts  to get the Windham Foundation to live up to their word, to work with all concerned to have a sustainable, viable working farm at the Retreat Farm.

Reports today cited Windham Foundation plans to sell off the dairy equipment and lease the agricultural lands to an outside operator. This would make reopening the recently closed dairy operation financially impossible.

In the wake of reports that the Windham Foundation is planning to lease the cropland at the Retreat Farm to an outside grower, Jay Bailey, Chair of The Brattleboro Agriculture Advisory Committee, released the following statement, which has been emailed to Stephen Morse of the Windham Foundation.

“Several investors have come forward in the last few days with a bonafide proposal to restart a dairy operation at the Retreat Farm.

“These investors have presented their business plan for the Retreat Farm to the bank, and secured funding. They are ready to enter the Farmer Search Process already worked out between Windham Foundation and the Vermont Land Trust as the best way to ensure long term viability of a successor operation at the Retreat Farm.

“The Brattleboro Agriculture Advisory Committee expects the Windham Foundation to live up to what they’ve agreed to all along: That the process of finding a farmer for a long term sustainable farm operation farm go forward through the Vermont Land Trust.

“Local farmers have been identified who will farm the land this season, as the new proposal proceeds.

“What the Ag Committee wants from the Windham Foundation is:

“Renewed commitment to the Farmer Search process with the Vermont Land Trust.

“A good faith commitment to this process precludes selling the assets of the dairy operation or signing way rights to the ag land except as part of the Vermont Land Trust Farmer Search Process.

“We reiterate the invitation from the Ag Committee to the Windham Foundation to participate in the Public Meeting about the Retreat Farm on National Agriculture Day, March 21, in the Brattleboro Selectboard Meeting Room at 7 PM.

Jay Bailey, Chair
The Brattleboro Agriculture Advisory Committee”

Bailey said, “We’re just trying to get the Windham Foundation to live up to their word, to work with all concerned to have a sustainable, viable working farm at the Retreat Farm.”

See also Susan Smallheer: rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070316/NEWS02/703160353/1003/NEWS02

Bob Audette: reformer.com/ci_5449511

There are a couple of new developments.

First, Gord Smith is the second Republican senator to call for Gonzales to resign:

Second, Josh has a memo from Sampson with this interesting line in it: “Bush41 even had to establish that Reagan-appointed U.S. Attorneys would not be permitted to continue on through the Bush41 administration”. It also says, “In 2001 Bush43 fired the Clinton-appointed U.S. Attorneys, some of which were in the midst of a four-year term . . .”
  Now what was that about how bad Clinton was when he put his own people in?

Third, that same memo makes clear that Rove and Gonzales were directly involved in the firings, disproving previous claims by the administration.

Finally, Snow ran into heavy sledding at the gaggle this morning.

It’s hard to believe Gonzales can hold on much longer, isn’t it?