Farmworker housing advocate urges Vermont to fund repairs and create statewide agricultural workforce task force

Ernest Alvin “Buster” Caswell III, a Champlain Orchards employee and long-time volunteer housing advocate, told the Agriculture, Food Resiliency, & Forestry committee that Vermont needs continued funding for the state’s new farmworker housing repair and replacement programs and a broader study of the agricultural workforce to guide future investments.

Caswell said the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board’s (VHCB) 2021 Vermont Housing Needs Assessment highlighted immediate farmworker housing needs but did not capture the full scope of the agricultural workforce. “Vermont needs a updated, it needs a comprehensive agricultural workforce needs assessment,” he said, arguing that a state-wide study would bring together off-farm and on-farm housing needs and identify funding pathways.

Why it matters: Caswell told the committee that existing VHCB pilots — a repair program to fix unsafe and inefficient homes and a pilot replacement program for units beyond repair — have been effective in addressing immediate housing hazards but require sustained funding to continue. He said those efforts began around 2022 and should be included in the state budget so VHCB can maintain the work amid competing demands.

Caswell cited data from existing reports to illustrate scale: he referenced roughly 54,900 agricultural direct jobs in Vermont, 107,000 total jobs in the agricultural industry, and roughly 9,000–10,000 people directly working on farms. He said the broader figures (which include processing and delivery roles) underscore why a comprehensive, updated assessment is needed.

On homelessness and living conditions, Caswell told the committee that inadequate housing exists in agricultural settings and that some people are effectively homeless: “If you’re living in a barn, that is not considered in any way, shape, form a home of any kind,” he said, arguing the problem spans both farmworker and farmer-owner housing.

Caswell recommended creating a standing task force, working group or committee to supply regular reporting on needs and successes, and to coordinate nonprofits, state agencies and federal partners such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture. He cited examples in other states and named local organizations that could participate, including Champlain Housing Trust, Evernorth, Addison Housing Works, NeighborWorks America partners, Migrant Justice, Milk with Dignity and the University of Vermont.

A committee member asked whether resources now used for farmworker repair work could also apply to farmer-owner housing; Caswell agreed such funding should be available to farmers and their families, noting many farmers live in substandard homes and have limited means to invest in repairs. He said an intermediary or neutral group could help farmers see the program as assistance rather than inspection and connect them with available resources.

Caswell also outlined labor-law complexities that affect solutions, noting historical federal exemptions around unemployment and overtime that make wage and benefit eligibility less straightforward for farmworkers. Drawing on personal experience, he said many farm jobs were compensated by salary rather than hourly pay, complicating standard wage or overtime approaches.

The testimony closed with Caswell repeating his central recommendations: continued state funding for the VHCB farmworker housing programs, and a comprehensive agricultural workforce needs assessment plus a coordinating task force to align funding and outreach. The committee thanked Caswell and adjourned, scheduling the next meeting for 9:30 a.m. the following day.