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Vermont State Programs

State Executive Director

John Roberts

John Roberts

Read John Roberts'

State Office Address

356 Mountain View Drive
Suite 104
Colchester, VT 05446
(802) 658-2803
(855) 794-3676

Outreach and Education

Our State Outreach Coordinator is Avery Williams

Email: avery.williams@usda.gov
Phone: (802) 388-6748

Our Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Coordinator is Jill Thomas

Email: jill.thomas@usda.gov
Phone: (802) 658-2803

Find more on outreach at farmers.gov


Inflation Reduction Act Assistance for Distressed Borrowers

Since October 2022, USDA has provided approximately $1.5 billion in immediate assistance to more than 24,000 financially distressed direct and guaranteed FSA loan borrowers through the Inflation Reduction Act.

FSA is currently accepting individual requests for assistance from borrowers who took certain extraordinary measures to avoid delinquency on their direct FSA loans, missed a recent installment, or are unable to make their next scheduled installment. For more information on eligibility, or to submit a request for assistance, producers can contact their local USDA Service Center or visit farmers.gov/inflation-reduction-investments/assistance.


Farm Loan Programs

Operating Loans

Used to purchase items such as livestock and feed; farm equipment; fuel, farm chemicals, insurance, and family living expenses; make minor improvements or repairs to buildings and fencing; and general farm operating expenses

Farm Ownership Loans

Used to purchase or enlarge a farm or ranch, construct a new or improve existing farm or ranch buildings, and for soil and water conservation and protection purposes

Microloans

Operating loans designed to meet the needs of small and beginning farmers, non-traditional, specialty crop and niche type operations by easing some requirements and offering less paperwork

Guaranteed Loans

enables lenders to extend credit to family farm operators and owners who do not qualify for standard commercial loans. Farmers receive credit at reasonable terms to finance their current operations or to expand their business; financial institutions receive additional loan business and servicing fees, as well as other benefits from the program, such as protection from loss

Emergency Loans

help farmers and ranchers recover from production and physical losses due to drought, flooding, other natural disasters or quarantine


Targeted Loan Audiences

Youth

Used by young people participating in 4-H clubs, FFA, or a similar organization, to finance educational, income-producing, agriculture-related projects

Minority and Women Farmers and Ranchers

loans support the full participation of minority and women family farmers in FSA's farm loan programs by targeting a portion of its direct and guaranteed farm ownership and operating loan funds for minority and women farmers to buy and operate a farm or ranch

Beginning Farmers and Ranchers

loans provide credit opportunities to eligible family farm and ranch operators and owners who have been in business less than 10 years


Other Helpful Resources


Available Farm Programs

Conservation Programs 

Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)

  • CRP is a land conservation program administered by FSA. In exchange for a yearly rental payment, farmers enrolled in the program agree to remove environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production and plant species that will improve environmental health and quality. Contracts for land enrolled in CRP are 10-15 years in length. The long-term goal of the program is to re-establish valuable land cover to help improve water quality, prevent soil erosion, and reduce loss of wildlife habitat. For more information, please see the CRP Fact Sheet.

Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)

  • CREP leverages federal and non-federal funds to target specific State, regional, or nationally significant conservation concerns. In exchange for removing environmentally sensitive land from production and establishing permanent resource conserving plant species, farmers and ranchers are paid an annual rental rate along with other federal and non-federal incentives as specified in each CREP agreement. Participation is voluntary, and the contract period is typically 10-15 years. For more information, please see the CREP Fact Sheet.

Protection Programs

Agricultural Risk Coverage Program (ARC) & Price Loss Coverage Program (PLC)

  • The ARC-CO program provides income support tied to historical base acres, not current production, of covered commodities. ARC-CO payments are issued when the actual county crop revenue of a covered commodity is less than the ARC-CO guarantee for the covered commodity.

    PLC program payments are issued when the effective price of a covered commodity is less than the respective reference price for that commodity. The effective price equals the higher of the market year average price (MYA) or the national average loan rate for the covered commodity. For more information, please see the ARC/PLC Fact Sheet.

  • ARC/PLC Online Login

Dairy Margin Coverage Program for Dairy (DMC)

  • DMC is a voluntary risk management program for dairy producers. DMC replaces the Margin Protection Program for Dairy (MPP-Dairy). DMC continues to offer protection to dairy producers when the difference between the all milk price and the average feed price (the margin) falls below a certain dollar amount selected by the producer. For more information, please see the DMC Fact Sheet

Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance (NAP)

  • NAP provides financial assistance to producers of non-insurable crops to protect against natural disasters that result in lower yields or crop losses or prevents crop planting. For more information, please see the NAP Fact Sheet.

Price Support

Farm Storage Facility Loans

  • FSFL provides low-interest financing so producers can build or upgrade facilities to store commodities. Eligible commodities include grains, oilseeds, peanuts, pulse crops, hay, honey, renewable biomass commodities, fruits and vegetables, floriculture, hops, maple sap, milk, cheese, yogurt, butter, eggs, meat/poultry (unprocessed), rye and aquaculture. Eligible facility types include grain bins, hay barns, bulk tanks, and facilities for cold storage. Drying and handling and storage equipment is also eligible, including storage and handling trucks. Eligible facilities and equipment may be new or used, permanently affixed or portable. For more information, please see the FSFL Fact Sheet.

Loan Deficiency Payments

  • LDPs are payments made to producers who, although eligible to obtain a CCC loan, agree to forgo the loan in return for a payment on the eligible commodity. For more information, please see the LDP Fact Sheet.

Marketing Assistance Loan

  • MAL provides producers interim financing at harvest time to meet cash flow needs without having to sell their commodities when market prices are typically at harvest-time lows. Allowing producers to store production at harvest facilitates more orderly marketing of commodities throughout the year. Marketing assistance loans for covered commodities are nonrecourse because the commodities are pledged as loan collateral and producers have the option of delivering the pledged collateral to CCC as full payment for the loan at maturity. For more information, please see the MAL Fact Sheet.

Organic Certification Cost Share Program (OCCSP)

  • OCCSP provides cost share assistance to producers and handlers of agricultural products who are obtaining or renewing their certification under the National Organic Program (NOP). For more information, please see the OCCSP Fact Sheet.

Disaster Assistance Programs

Emergency Conservation Program (ECP)

  • ECP helps farmers and ranchers to repair damage to farmlands caused by natural disasters and to help put in place methods for water conservation during severe drought. The ECP does this by giving ranchers and farmers funding and assistance to repair the damaged farmland or to install methods for water conservation. For more information, please see the ECP Fact Sheet.

Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-raised Fish (ELAP)

  • ELAP provides financial assistance to eligible producers of livestock, honeybees and farm-raised fish for losses due to disease, certain adverse weather events or loss conditions, including blizzards and wildfires, as determined by the Secretary. For more information, please see the ELAP Fact Sheet.

Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP)

  • EFRP helps the owners of non-industrial private forests restore forest health damaged by natural disasters. The EFRP does this by authorizing payments to owners of private forests to restore disaster damaged forests. For more information, please see the EFRP Fact Sheet.

Livestock Forage Program (LFP)

  • LFP provides compensation to eligible livestock producers that have suffered grazing losses for covered livestock on land that is native or improved pastureland with permanent vegetative cover or is planted specifically for grazing. The grazing losses must be due to a qualifying drought condition during the normal grazing period for the county. For more information, please see the LFP Fact Sheet.

Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP)

  • LIP provides compensation to eligible livestock producers who have suffered livestock death losses in excess of normal mortality due to adverse weather and attacks by animals reintroduced into the wild by the federal government or protected by federal law. For more information, please see the LIP Fact Sheet.

Tree Assistance Program (TAP)

  • TAP provides financial cost-share assistance to qualifying orchardists and nursery tree growers to replant or rehabilitate eligible trees, bushes and vines damaged by or lost due to a natural disaster. For more information, please see the TAP Fact Sheet.