Farmer Emergency Fund

**Farms across Vermont are experiencing catastrophic impacts from the July flooding. Consider donating to the Farmer Emergency Fund to support your neighbors in this time of widespread need. Just choose the fund from the "campaigns" drop-down in the form.**

a farm field is flooded with a few inches of water.

NOFA-VT’s Farmer Emergency Fund, established in 1997, supports organic and NOFA-VT member farmers who have been adversely affected by natural and unnatural disasters, such as:

  • Crop failure
  • Extreme weather
  • Flooding
  • Fire
  • Barn collapse
  • Financial hardship as the price of organic milk continues to drop

 

We understand that our farmers are imperative to our local food system, economy, and environment, and that they do not always qualify for federal or private assistance programs. The Farmer Emergency Fund provides farmers with the needed cash flow in times of an emergency, to help them recover and ultimately become more resilient farmers.

Grant & Application Details

The NOFA-VT Farmer Emergency Fund is available to assist Vermont certified organic and NOFA-VT member commercial farmers (join membership here) who are in financial need after having been adversely affected by natural and unnatural disasters. Farmers may request up to $5,000 in grants that do not need to be repaid. 

Successful applicants will be notified as soon as possible. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis and reviewed by a loan review committee with representatives from the NOFA-VT staff and the NOFA-VT Board of Directors. Once the application is received, you should receive notification of the committee’s decision within two weeks.

Please note:

  • The fund is available to certified Vermont Organic Farmers (VOF) or NOFA-VT members.
  • The fund may be used to help replace infrastructure (for example greenhouse, barn, fencing), seed, feed, livestock, equipment and other losses caused by the disaster.
  • The fund may be used to help pay outstanding farm-related bills and immediate needs (loan and mortgage repayments, etc).
  • The fund is not an alternative to insurance and does not cover losses that are covered by a successful insurance claim or losses covered by other sources.
  • The fund may not be used to cover projected income from crops lost from the disaster.

Apply now!

Contact Business Farm Advisor Bill Cavanaugh via email or call 802-434-7154 to get started.

Donate to the Farmer Emergency Fund

To make your tax-deductible donation to the Farmer Emergency Fund, please fill out our donate form and choose 'Farmer Emergency Fund' from the campaign drop-down, or mail a check made out to NOFA-VT with 'Farmer Emergency Fund' in the memo to PO Box 697, Richmond, VT 05477.

Donate Now

Looking for other funding opportunities? Check out other grants administered by NOFA-VT.

See All Grants