Here are the top stories at 7:30 a.m.
Vermont agriculture leaders say the Senate version of the national farm bill would benefit dairy farmers the next time there’s a downturn in milk prices; Rep. Peter Welch says the private military security firm Blackwater USA should leave Iraq immediately; A coalition of groups wants to use incentives to steer new housing toward designated growth areas, such as village centers and downtowns; and Senators Judd Gregg and John Sununu are backing the nomination of federal prosecutor Joseph Laplante to be the next federal judge from New Hampshire.