[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6372239,"mediaKeyId","2148296-76130ac7cf99821200aadc0c42ee4bb8","parentId",2148296,"title","NOFA, farmers urge $20 million Farm Security Fund to deliver rapid disaster relief","audioSeconds",697,"startMs",1512000,"endMs",2209000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2148296-76130ac7cf99821200aadc0c42ee4bb8&start=1512&end=2209","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2148296-76130ac7cf99821200aadc0c42ee4bb8/thumbnail_1512000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6372239/Vermont/NOFA-farmers-urge-20-million-Farm-Security-Fund-to-deliver-rapid-disaster-relief","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6372239-aa83960275581b2e57fa6373db477a26/orig.mp4?Expires=1773637218&Signature=WMGCqJRBxoHb08Hq6CIG3cPpPRLFR8d8dOnsWcIGnvoy5QuZjjCYFNcHJFyHFLwBjqLXsXpN9zdDp3pg5PolwKg0cxIaSCZzxirXSZmsFvVskbRcnE3gXheMX8n7II0T1aalm3OcOeKy7zLBfuqhWraJf~9Tg5hpgD1UZalkyw~SkL0TmMw3OGCBCo5fATgM1ok-IE0rCJyMJfcYD98bMC207pd50gWeyFGYMmBNU0zNQ3qw6Wj4m7tVFy9k8-pSCQIuhKDoR8rJ-MfZkHl4BAJegjMj3w8S0ufYq9IiNJPdmGzEsU-IFM~hH0Xy3jeqUcbjELE7WLDwX8tCWIgpfw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-01-24T18:03:17Z","article","Maddie Kempner, speaking for NOFA Vermont, told the House Agriculture Committee the organization will ask the legislature to create a Farm Security Fund and seek a one‑time $20 million appropriation for fiscal year 2026 to provide rapid relief to farms affected by climate disasters.

\"Yes. We are seeking a $20,000,000 onetime appropriation for f y 26,\" Kempner said. She said the bill would set a formula for future base appropriations and create a review board to help administer the fund in partnership with the Agency of Agriculture.

Kempner and other witnesses told the panel that federal disaster programs can be slow and poorly matched to diversified, small‑scale Vermont farms. The Agency of Agriculture's 2023 survey, cited by NOFA, estimated $44.7 million in farm business damages in 2023 and $14 million in farm losses in 2024; NOFA said total food‑system damages in 2023 were about $69 million.

NOFA said the bill would direct the Agency of Agriculture to administer the fund and include a review board with farmer representation. The draft language would require payments approved by the review board to be disbursed within two weeks. NOFA contrasted that timeline with its own emergency fund turnaround: \"With our emergency fund, our average turnaround time to get checks to farmers once we had received and processed the application was 8 days,\" a NOFA speaker told the committee.

Farmers who spoke to the committee described on‑the‑ground recovery needs and the administrative confusion that can follow a flood. Joe Boston, a NOFA board member and food‑manufacturing business owner, described a flash flood on Aug. 9, 2023, that transformed a small stream into a gravel and log field, destroyed plantings and damaged infrastructure on his Warren farm. He said he struggled to determine which permits, if any, were needed and which agencies to contact to repair stream channels and access roads.

Becky Madden, a NOFA board member and UVM Extension soil health specialist, noted the financial strain on farms after disasters: \"The average loss was 28% across all firms in that year who reported damage,\" she said, citing survey results and her field work. She and other witnesses told the committee that rapid payments can allow farms to keep payroll and begin urgent repairs instead of relying on loans or prolonged federal processes.

Committee members asked about funding sources and whether federal appropriations could substitute. NOFA noted a separate December federal package expected to provide national assistance to small‑farm states (NOFA reported roughly $220 million nationally with an estimate that $66–67 million might reach Vermont, but that those funds would be retroactive and likely cover 2023–24 losses).

NOFA said the Farm Security Fund language is being circulated and that a broad coalition of farming organizations supports the approach. NOFA asked the committee to schedule the bill for future hearings where the agency and additional farmers could testify.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Agriculture – 2025-01-24 – 1:00PM","oneSentenceSummary","NOFA Vermont and a group of farmers urged the House Agriculture Committee to pass a new Farm Security Fund — a proposed onetime $20 million appropriation to provide quick grants to farms hit by extreme weather — and outlined how a nimble state mechanism could fill gaps left by federal programs.","taxTitle","Agriculture, Food Resiliency, & Forestry, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Committees, Legislative , Vermont","taxId",36721,"location","Vermont","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6372243,"NOFA Vermont asks state for $500,000 in base funding to expand Crop Cash and FarmShare programs",591,772000,1363000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2148296-76130ac7cf99821200aadc0c42ee4bb8&start=772&end=1363","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2148296-76130ac7cf99821200aadc0c42ee4bb8/thumbnail_772000.jpg","/articles/6372243/Vermont/NOFA-Vermont-asks-state-for-500000-in-base-funding-to-expand-Crop-Cash-and-FarmShare-programs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6372243-afff6bb908fb92a95ae8c447a853d574/orig.mp4?Expires=1773637218&Signature=eAHtshuOrNHPikNzKp262mJ7BdbOI1QjlNJv6Cpugu3ba5u9iGEk1dAJXojaVDw7Lp3PbT3VKQXC4GN1TKWQSZr5ZsJxnhpE39OB9PcqL2rHL1lPMMgXsx688nXnLfmjBD3W30FgnZtR18jjdS0wV5Td~OycJjwHlOHTArE0UpVTKva259ecBQzGi1mmDjVIBArHVfEPbV544fll1ZQaW0vWYUDmUAaqMceGdE99kr4674I0wPDzCgX7CNNw-aei8M7q8KCpMV0U51WrTEPuVra7sR5RxoqdQNQaUaSJ6wByrjFXeLc1q1ZxdnQnCYrc63qKDegNZv9KgemTOmoeDQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Grace O'Dell, executive director of NOFA Vermont, told the House Agriculture Committee the group is seeking $500,000 in base funding to continue and expand state-supported food-security programs that also support local farmers.

\"We're asking for $500,000 in base funding, for our food security programs,\" O'Dell said. Joanna Doran, NOFA's local food access director, described how the programs operate and why state dollars are required.

Crop Cash doubles SNAP (3SquaresVT) benefits for use on produce at participating farmers markets; Crop Cash Plus was a 2023 state‑funded pilot that expanded eligibility to other SNAP‑eligible foods such as eggs, dairy and meat. \"Crop Cash doubles SNAP benefits when used at farmer's markets,\" Doran said. She told the committee the federal grant that funds Crop Cash requires a local match and that state funding helps draw down additional federal money into Vermont's local economy.

Doran described FarmShare, a long‑running program that subsidizes community‑supported agriculture (CSA) shares for low‑income Vermonters by discounting shares by 25 to 75 percent and paying participating farms for the discounted portion. She said NOFA currently partners with more than 60 farms statewide on FarmShare.

NOFA gave a program-level breakdown of how the $500,000 request would be spent: at least $60,000 to meet the federal match requirement for Crop Cash, $200,000 to restore Crop Cash Plus based on the 2023 pilot, and $100,000 for FarmShare. The remainder would cover coupon printing, outreach and administrative costs related to program delivery, Doran said.

Committee members asked for usage and reach figures. Doran estimated the programs served about 800 households so far in the fiscal year but said Crop Cash usage is difficult to convert to unique household counts because transactions at markets are not tracked to individuals. She told the committee the Crop Cash Plus pilot was suspended early in 2023 after the one‑time state funding was exhausted because demand outpaced the pilot appropriation.

Members also discussed last year's one‑time appropriation. NOFA said the prior legislative session provided $300,000 in one‑time funds (none was made base), with $60,000 initially in contingency but later released. NOFA told the committee that recurring state funding is necessary to restore Crop Cash Plus and to continue expanding FarmShare given rising demand.

Supporters in the room included farmers who described the programs' local impact. Melissa Oliva, co‑owner of Ananda Gardens, said FarmShare accounts for about 20 percent of her farm's revenue and highlighted that many recipients are single parents and new Americans who rely on that access to nutritious local food.

NOFA asked the committee to consider making the $500,000 request a base appropriation to sustain and scale the programs that both increase food access and send federal and local dollars to Vermont producers.","NOFA Vermont told the House Agriculture Committee it seeks $500,000 in base funding to sustain and expand Crop Cash, Crop Cash Plus and FarmShare programs that subsidize local food purchases for SNAP recipients and low-income households and draw federal funds into Vermont farms.","actionData","errors"]

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NOFA, farmers urge $20 million Farm Security Fund to deliver rapid disaster relief

NOFA Vermont asks state for $500,000 in base funding to expand Crop Cash and FarmShare programs