The Department of Economic Development has created the Business Emergency Gap Assistance Program (BEGAP). This $20 million grant program is for businesses and nonprofits that suffered physical damages from flooding dating back to July 7, 2023. Applicants must intend on restoring, reopening, and bringing their employees back to work as soon as possible and will utilize these grant funds for that purpose.

$1 million in this funding is intended for agricultural businesses, including farms and on-farm processing businesses. Visit the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets website for more information specific to agricultural applicants for this relief grant.

To access the application portal, as well as a recorded webinar, a frequently asked questions page, contact information, and more: click "Read More" below to go the Business Emergency Gap Assistance Program page on the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development site.

"The Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development is hosting the Business Emergency Gap Assistance Program for all Vermont flood impacted businesses, including agriculture. The BGAP program has $1 million in funding available to support agricultural operations.

Relief funding is available for agricultural businesses producing food and feed for anyone other than themselves or their family,
Relief funding is available for on-farm processing operations.
Relief funding is available to agricultural or food system businesses under additional sectors, such as ‘manufacturing’ or ‘retail’."

....

"The application portal is expected to open on Thursday, August 3.

An informational webinar will be held on Wednesday, 8/2 at 10:00 a.m."

From July 7-18, 2023, Vermont experienced historic and catastrophic severe weather and flooding.

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (VAAFM) is requesting information from farms, agricultural businesses, and service and non-profit organizations to understand the overall impact of this natural disaster.

The purpose of this survey is to, as accurately as possible, capture the type and scale of the damage agricultural producers suffered throughout the state. Survey data will be used to inform response efforts, effectively allocate resources, and advocate for future relief and recovery programs.

If you are a business, organization, or individual that raises animals and/or grows feed or crops for anyone beyond your immediate family, we kindly request that you fill out this survey. It should only take between 5 and 10 minutes to complete. The survey will remain open until August 28th.

"Berlin, Vt. - Governor Phil Scott and the Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD) offered additional details today about the upcoming Business Emergency Grant Assistance Program. The $20 million program will assist businesses and not-for-profit entities that sustained physical damage in the flood reopen and bring their employees back to work...

"When the program opens, businesses will be eligible for a grant of 20% of the net documented uncovered damage to their physical property up to a maximum of $20,000. For properties that sustained more than a million dollars of damage, grant amounts may exceed the $20,000 cap. Those grants will be 20% of net documented uncovered physical damage up to $500,000 based on the number of employees and total damage they sustained. Of the $20 million, $1 million will be administered by the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets and dedicated specifically to agricultural businesses...

Physical losses and damage can include physical space and/or replacements of inventory, machinery, equipment, and supplies. Business should collect photographs, insurance adjuster damage assessments, estimates for repairs to physical structures, tax returns, equipment, inventory, or supply purchases, actual paid expenses and other documents as requested.

Additional details about the grant program and how it will work are expected to be released on Monday, July 31, and the application portal is expected to open later that week."
(From press release at link)

"...Following devastating flooding in Vermont and other parts of the Northeast, Farm Credit East has announced its Farm Credit East Cares Community Fund will make available up to $250,000 in flood relief to impacted Northeast producers. Farm Credit East Cares is funded by employee contributions with a Farm Credit East match. In addition, CoBank, Farm Credit East’s funding bank, and Farmer Mac are contributing to this effort.

Impacted producers are eligible for $500 individual donations. This financial assistance is not intended to replace equipment, infrastructure, or business losses, but instead to cover personal losses and other expenses..."

"...Financial assistance is not limited to Farm Credit East members. Any farm, forest product or fishing business impacted by the July 2023 flooding in Farm Credit East’s eight state territory is eligible for this aid. Depending on available funding, applications will be considered on a rolling basis until September 15."

"Governor Phil Scott has requested that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) issue a disaster designation for the State of Vermont in response to severe July flooding. A Secretarial Disaster Designation would open the availability of financial assistance, including low-interest USDA Farm Service Agency emergency loans for eligible producers in the approved counties."

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets is encouraging all those who sustained losses to report their damages to their local Farm Services Agency office with USDA.

Release Date:
July 14, 2023

"WASHINGTON-- FEMA announced that federal disaster assistance has been made available to the state of Vermont to supplement state, tribal and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe flooding beginning on July 7, 2023, and continuing.

The President's action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in Chittenden, Lamoille, Rutland, Washington, Windham and Windsor counties. Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster."

[Click "Read More" below to read the full statement on the FEMA website, including information on how to apply for individual assistance for damage to homes. Please note that individual assistance is intended for damage to homes, not to businesses or farms. More information and resources to come.]

VAAFM has compiled a comprehensive list of resources and information for farmers impacted by the flooding which began on July 7th and swept across the state. They have provided links to report damages to 211 as well as to the USDA. There are resources specific to produce farmers, dairy operations, and meat and poultry operators, as well as links for soil testing, recovery funding opportunities, and a range of other resources.

By now you've almost certainly heard the instructions, whether from your town, media reports, or any place you've tried to google for help: call 211. And maybe you HAVE called, only to leave a voicemail and no call back. So you may be wondering, what's the point?

It's helpful to bear in mind that 211 is getting a LOT of calls from people all over the state. They have to sort through which calls are the most urgent, and share information among a dizzying amount of agencies, service providers, and state, local, and federal government entities. Even if they can't get help to you right away, that does not mean they aren't listening. Don't give up hope yet.

Apart from getting help in the short term, there is one other VERY important reason to reach out to 211. The quality and amount of information that 211 receives plays a key role in determining what programs Vermonters have access to down the road as we try to recover and rebuild. The more you share with 211 about the devastating impact of these floods, the better the chances that Vermonters will have access to important sources of relief.

The good news is that there is ALSO a way to report damages on the 211 website--both residential and for businesses. If you can't call 211 to speak to someone on the phone, you can click "read more" below to access the 211 damage report forms.

We are experiencing catastrophic flooding in the state of Vermont. If you have animals that are impacted by the flooding, know that you are not alone! Vermont's Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets has an emergency response plan for animals. There are several ways to get help, listed below. (Please note that these are for non-life threatening emergencies; if your safety is at risk, call 911).

1. Call your town for support. Much emergency response can be coordinated most quickly at the local level; towns can communicate with state leaders to let them know what you and other folks in the community need. Each town has an emergency management director--if you don't know who yours is, call the town clerk or town manager.

2. Call the Vermont Emergency Management's State Emergency Operations Center at 800-347-0488. They will triage your call and make sure that the emergency response team at the VAAFM is aware of what you need.

3. Call 211. They can provide many of the same resources and support as the SEOC.

Of course, all of these resources are responding to the needs of many people and animals across the state. They may not be able to help right away. But it's critical to let them know that you need the help in the first place.

If you are feeling overwhelmed and need to talk to someone, reach out to Farm First at 802-318-5538 during business hours, or 877-493-6216 after hours.

While there are still pockets of snow along hillsides and cold mountain streams here in Vermont, the forecast shows swiftly warming weather to finally herald spring. For many of you, that means calving, kidding, and lambing. For others, it means increasing your processing as dairy farms increase production. And for some of you, it means both!

April also brings more funding opportunities for dairy processors, farmers, and technical service providers.

Livestock producers - grants up to $10,000 for projects that improve soil health through the adoption of regenerative agricultural practices.
Any New England Farmer - grants of up to $5,000 to purchase or lease land to farm or pass their farms on to other farmers.

The Farm Tax Estimator Tool is an interactive spreadsheet that producers can download to estimate tax liability.

FY’23 Grants totaling $140K assist Vermont working lands Service Providers and Producer Associations

Farm First is conducting a survey to better understand the physical and mental-emotional challenges farmers face. Help us access federal funds farmers. Please complete the confidential survey by August 15.

Listen to real farmers talk about their struggles with finances, climate anxiety, community, family and legacy. Learn how fellow farmers are coping and thriving.

Farm First, the State’s resource for providing farmers and their families support, information, and resources to reduce stress, is expanding its services to include a stress reduction training for agriculture service providers and a Farmer Peer Network.

Learn more about the USDA Defend the Flock Program.