Contacts:
Kelly Loftus, Agency of Agriculture, (802) 828-3829

Friday, April 20, 2007

Montpelier, Vt. – Today, Phil Benedict, Director of Agricultural Resource Management and Environmental Stewardship for the Agency of Agriculture, was honored by a Concurrent House Resolution to acknowledge his 36 years of exemplary service to the Agency of Agriculture. The resolution stated, “The Vermont farmer has no better friend in state government than Phil Benedict.”

Mr. Benedict’s agricultural heritage can be traced to the 1700’s when his ancestors settled in the town of Sharon and began farming the rugged Vermont soil. After graduating from the University of New Hampshire with undergraduate and graduate degrees in entomology, he returned to Vermont and began his long-term career with the then Department of Agriculture. Over the ensuing decades, he developed an expertise on the increasing impact of state and federal water law on Vermont farmers.

Roger Allbee, Vermont Secretary of Agriculture, commented, “It is Phil’s vision and diligence, as well as his ability to listen to others, that have made him such an excellent leader and advocate for farmers and the environment. His knowledge, passion and dedication are admirable.”

In 1990, under Mr. Benedict’s guidance and leadership, the department of agriculture built a state-of-the-art agricultural laboratory facility in Waterbury that remains one of the most advanced in the nation. The laboratory has been recognized for its high quality work. Mr. Benedict was awarded the James P. Graham Award in 2001 from the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture for outstanding service to agriculture in the United States.