[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 140 (Wednesday, August 22, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S5826]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO BOB FOSTER

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, on behalf of all Vermonters, I would like 
to honor Bob Foster of Middlebury, VT, who this month will be inducted 
into the Vermont Agricultural Hall of Fame in recognition of more than 
30 years of outstanding service to Vermont agriculture. For as long as 
I have served in this body and especially in my work on the U.S. Senate 
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, I have often looked 
to Bob for input and advice. In addition being a partner in an iconic 
fifth-generation Vermont dairy, Bob's leadership in Vermont has been 
extraordinary. During his 37 years of service on the Agri-Mark Dairy 
Cooperative Board, the co-op has become a critical resource for many 
Vermont dairy farms and a mainstay of the Vermont economy. Bob is an 
innovator, taking risks and leading the way in Vermont for bio-
digesters and sustainable value-added products and working nationally 
on renewable energy as an adviser to the 25X25 effort. The extent of 
his service on local, State, and national leadership teams is 
exceptional and is further described in his well-deserved nomination to 
the Vermont Agricultural Hall of Fame, I ask unanimous consent that the 
nomination be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

 Vermont Agricultural Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement: 30+ Years of 
 Outstanding Service to Vermont Agriculture. Robert Foster, Middlebury

       Robert is a partner in Foster Brothers Farm, a fifth-
     generation dairy, who served on the Agrimark Board of 
     Directors for 37 consecutive years, before retiring in 2015. 
     He also chairs the University of Vermont, College of 
     Agriculture and Life Sciences' Board of Advisors. 
     Sustainability has always been one of Robert's passions. 
     Foster Brothers Farm was the first in the state to install 
     and operate a methane digester. Robert is also co-owner and 
     operator of Vermont Natural Ag Products, a sustainable 
     business which supplies wholesale products, formulated from 
     cow, horse and poultry compost, to the horticultural, 
     agricultural, and turf industries. He currently serves on the 
     Board of Directors for The Soil Health Institute. Within the 
     Agrimark Co-op, Robert has been a champion for renewable 
     energy and sustainability, helping to pioneer the Vital 
     Capital Index, which helps member farms measure and manage 
     their impact on their community, the environment and their 
     bottom line. He has been a tireless advocate for Vermont 
     agriculture, and a mentor and leader to young farmers, over 
     the course of his prestigious career. Together with his wife, 
     Nancy, he has three grown daughters; Robin Cole, Jennifer 
     Foster, and Heather Foster-Provencher, and six grandchildren.

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