Legal War on Farmers?

Vermont Supreme Court Opens Floodgates: Farms Now at Risk! As a Man Thinketh on Yanasa TV analyzes recent Vermont Supreme Court decisions and their cascading impact on small farmers and homesteaders. The host warns that these rulings may allow municipalities to override state-level right-to-farm protections, threatening the very agrarian identity of Vermont. Three cases are discussed: a duck and cannabis grower in Essex Junction, a livestock farmer in Barton, and a 600-acre farm building a store in Hartland. The video critiques how local zoning boards are shifting Vermont's rural culture toward boutique tourism while squeezing out traditional agriculture.

00:00 Vermont's Political Shift & Farm Culture Decline

01:05 Essex Junction Case Ducks, Cannabis & Legal Fallout

02:35 Implications of the Essex Ruling Local governments now empowered to block backyard farms.

04:06 Barton Case Tom Wood and the Livestock Sales Barn

05:35 Zoning, Nuisance & Animal Welfare Accusations

07:08 Timeline of Enforcement and Property Transfers

08:45 Questions of Legal Standing and Non-Conforming Use

10:02 Challenges To County's Motives

12:16 Public Perception vs. Legal Fact the ruling may criminalize long-standing, small-scale operations.

14:02 Homesteading and Decentralized Control

15:07 Scope of Municipal Control After the Ruling

16:13 Hartland Farm Store Case – A Contradiction?

17:57 Vermont Favoring Big Ag While Crushing the Little Guy

19:33 Loss of Vermont's Rural Identity

21:10 Zoning Boards The Gatekeepers of Agriculture

Key Themes & Takeaways

Supreme Court ruling in May 2025 fundamentally changed Vermont's agricultural zoning balance. Municipal zoning can now override right-to-farm laws—unless connected to RAPs. Small farms and homesteaders are vulnerable; large farms still protected if politically aligned. Aesthetic-driven urbanites are reshaping policy, often at odds with traditional agriculture. Legal doctrines like "non-conforming use" and "laches" may provide defenses—but only for those aware and able to fight.