NOFA Vermont asks Senate for $500,000 to restore Crop Cash Plus and boost farm viability

NOFA Vermont told the Senate Agriculture Committee on April 4 that it needs $500,000 in base state funding in FY26 to sustain two food-access programs — Crop Cash Plus and FarmShare — that, the organization said, both increase food security and provide reliable revenue for Vermont farmers.

NOFA Vermont representative Joanna Doran told the committee, “Without sufficient funding from the state, Crop Cash Plus does not exist,” and asked senators to support the full $500,000 request in the Senate Appropriations Committee.

The request would preserve the long-standing federal Crop Cash program (administered with USDA grant dollars) and a pilot expansion, Crop Cash Plus, which NOFA ran in 2023 with one-time state funds. Under Crop Cash, SNAP (branded in Vermont as 3 Squares Vermont) dollars used at participating farmers markets are matched dollar-for-dollar for fruit and vegetable purchases. Crop Cash Plus added a state-funded extra dollar that could be spent on all SNAP-eligible foods — including meat, dairy, eggs, bread and shelf-stable staples — so a $1 SNAP purchase effectively became $3 at market during the pilot.

Doran and other witnesses explained the programs’ funding mechanics to the committee: USDA grants cover a majority of the federal Crop Cash program’s administrative costs, but those grants require a local match. NOFA said the match requirement is about $0.60 for every federal $1 (the testimony used the example: “for each $100,000 that we request in federal funding, we have to contribute $60,000 in match”). State dollars expand the program’s reach by increasing the local match NOFA can pledge and by funding the Plus expansion that federal rules do not allow on their own.

Evidence from vendors and market managers at the hearing underscored the programs’ local economic impact. Kaylee Boucher, a cheesemaker who testified representing a local vendor, said that when both Crop Cash and Crop Cash Plus were available at the Burlington Farmers Market in 2023, about $40,000 in coupons were spent through the program, compared with roughly $12,000 at the same market in 2024 when only Crop Cash was available. "This funding will significantly broaden and deepen the impact of these programs," Boucher told the committee.

Farmers who testified described direct sales increases. Vanessa Rose and Justin Bramhall of Leaping Bear Farm said Crop Cash Plus accounted for roughly 10% of their farm sales in one winter season, while some vendors reported up to 30% of market sales tied to the program in other seasons. Bramhall said the expansion “ensured more producers in Vermont could accept this payment voucher and participate in this vital food access program.”

A consumer witness, Ashley Strobridge of Astrobridge Artistry, described how the Plus expansion mattered to individuals with specific dietary and medical needs: "Being able to get that local dairy is incredibly important, to me being able to stay stable," she said, explaining that certain medications require higher calories, fat and protein.

Committee members asked procedural and statutory questions. A senator asked why Crop Cash cannot be changed at the state level to cover all foods; witnesses responded that the federal program is governed by the farm bill and statutory changes would need to come from Congress. Committee members also asked about the stability of future USDA funding; NOFA staff said they are near the end of a three-year USDA grant and plan to apply for the next round but cautioned federal funding can change.

NOFA officials asked the committee to close a roughly $200,000 gap between a $300,000 allocation the House included for farm-share and Crop Cash and the $500,000 NOFA says is needed to continue Crop Cash Plus and maintain program capacity. Witnesses emphasized that state funding leverages federal and philanthropic dollars and that restoring Crop Cash Plus would both expand low-income Vermonters’ access to protein and staple foods and increase reliable market revenue for farms.

The committee did not take a vote during the hearing; members said they would consider the request. Senators thanked witnesses and moved to recess.

The testimony combined program mechanics, market-level sales figures and personal accounts to convey why NOFA and several market vendors urged the Senate to fund the Crop Cash Plus expansion and stabilize FarmShare funding.