Join us as we advocate for meaningful, strategic support for farms and forestry businesses facing extreme weather events.
Farms and forestry operations across the state have come together to ask the legislature to establish a Farm and Forestry Operations Security Fund to ensure farmers and loggers have the financial assistance they need to recover from the impacts of extreme weather. Grants from the fund will reimburse a farm or logging operation for up to 50% of uninsured or otherwise uncovered losses, up to $150,000, or no more than 5% of the funds available at the start of the fiscal year. The fund would be administered by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets, in collaboration with a review board.
The Farm Security Fund coalition is led by:
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And is additionally supported by a growing list of organizations including ACORN, American Farmland Trust, Hunger Free VT, Vermont Association of Conservation Districts, Vermont Foodbank, and Shelburne Farms.
Why This, Why Now
A storm, frost, or drought at the wrong time can devastate a farm. We all rely on farms, and we are all responsible for supporting farmers as they face increased climate instability, particularly as Vermont’s small, diversified farms are left out of federal programs designed to stabilize agriculture in times of crisis.
It’s time to start adapting to the climate crisis and ensuring our farms can continue producing the food we need. Supporting Vermont’s farms means boosting rural economies, protecting the health of our land, preserving the heart of our communities, and ensuring a strong local food supply—critical as agriculture faces the same extreme weather challenges around the globe.
Bill Status
The Farm Security Fund was introduced in the 2025 legislative session. Thanks to the actions of so many of you, the bill gained strong support in the first year of the biennium, passing unanimously out of the Senate last March. The House Agriculture, Food Resiliency, and Forestry Committee took it up, expanded eligibility to include certain forestry operations, and updated the name to the "Farm and Forestry Operations Security Special Fund" to reflect its broader working lands focus. It passed unanimously out of that House Committee at the end of the session. To track the bill's continued progress this session, check the Vermont Legislature website.
To learn more about the Farm Security Fund, contact Maddie Kempner, NOFA-VT’s Policy & Organizing Director, at [email protected] or 802-419-0072.
