Author Archives: Mark Cannella

Northern Ireland: State of the Art Demonstration Greenmount

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Today we spent the day visiting with “technologists” and seeing their state of the art demonstration farm at the Greenmount Campus. College of Agriculture, Farms and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) at Greenmount provides various levels of vocational, technical and advanced agriculture degree programs in Northern Ireland. http://www.cafre.ac.uk/index.htmThey have just completed work on a nee dairy demonstration facility. The 150 cow herd has moved off grazing land and into the barn for the winter season. The facility features padded floors at key spots, robotic alley cleaners and an innovative manure/urine separator floor (see image below). The floor scraper separates urine and manure to reduce the mixing that promotes ammonia volatilization. They expect this is several years ahead of an industry that is soon approaching numerous innovations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on farms.

low ammonia alley scraper

low ammonia alley scraper

On the greener side, we saw horticulture demonstrations, testing numerous late season and winter ornamental crops that could add off season cash flow to nursery and greenhouses. It is not uncommon here for a live

stock farm to also manage an ornamental hoop house for another source of income. Crops include: ornamental cabbage, winter rose and cyclamen(see below)

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Important Income Tax Changes for H-2A Status Workers

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For Immediate Release

Contact: Maribeth Spellman

Director of Policy, Outreach and Legislative Affairs

Vermont Department of Taxes

(802) 828-0141 or Maribeth.Spellman@state.vt.us

 

Important Income Tax Changes for H-2A Status Workers

 

Montpelier, Vt., July 30, 2013 – The Vermont legislature recently passed a law that clarifies the tax status of individuals enrolled in the H-2A visa program. Many Vermont farms employ foreign national workers who come to the U.S. for temporary or seasonal work through the H-2A program.

 

Beginning with tax year 2012, H-2A status workers must file individual income tax returns in the state of Vermont, as well as at the federal level. For individuals who have not submitted an individual income tax return for 2012, they should do so as soon as possible.

 

For tax years prior to 2012, any liability, interest or penalty paid by an H-2A status worker will be refunded upon request. In order to be eligible, an individual must provide proof of H-2A status by submitting Form I-94 where their class of admission is H-2A. This is marked on their visa. H-2A workers seeking refunds should contact the department.

 

Employers who already have a withholding account may use that for H-2A status workers. If an employer wants to open a withholding account, they may do so by completing Form S-1, Application for Business Tax Account.

 

The Vermont Department of Taxes is assisting H-2A status workers and their employers with this change. For further information, please contact the department at (802) 828-2865 or (866) 828-2865 (toll free in Vermont).