The Vermont Farm Disaster Relief Fund
Money is still being raised for this fund, which was established in partnership with the Vermont Agency of Agriculture to provide support to individual farmers who were affected by the flood.
| Contributions Received:
$2,454,600 | Farmers Awarded Grants:
198 | Total Awarded*:
$1,929,193 |
The numbers above are up-to-date as of 5/15/2012
Some farmers were awarded more than one grant
*Total Awarded figure includes a $50,000 grant, made possible by an individual donor’s contribution, to help fund a case manager at the Vermont Agency of Agriculture who will support farmers currently facing the greatest recovery needs and help develop a future emergency response plan.
The contributions total may include grants made directly into this fund from other Irene-related funds. To see the total contributions for all Irene-related funds, please visit the
Irene fund overview page.
The grants are intended to help farmers meet critical living needs by replacing infrastructure, seed, feed, livestock, supplies, and equipment lost as a result of the storm, to the extent the losses were not covered by insurance or other sources of income. The grants can also be used to help pay outstanding bills such as farm mortgage costs, land lease payments, or animal feed bills.
The first grants were announced Sept 29, one month after the fund was established, and two weeks after the applications were made available.
The application review committee includes representatives from the Vermont Community Foundation, Vermont Agency of Agriculture, NOFA Vermont, Vermont Farm Bureau, Rural Vermont, Rutland Area Farm and Food Link, and University of Vermont Extension. Grant decisions are based on a number of factors, including total losses and overall need.