Supporters urge fast, state-funded disaster aid for Vermont farms under S.60

Supporters of S.60, the Farm Security Fund, told legislators at a committee hearing that Vermont needs a permanently funded, quickly distributable aid program to help farmers recover after extreme-weather events.

Maddie Kempner, of NOFA Vermont, said the fund should “be simple to apply for. It should provide as, as fast a turnaround on payment as possible, ... [and] be flexible and proportional” to farmers’ needs.

Advocates said the bill responds to repeated localized and statewide extreme-weather losses in recent years. They described $58.2 million in reported farm damage from two recent growing seasons (about $44.7 million in 2023 and $13.5 million in 2024), compared with roughly $6.9 million distributed through charitable grants and BGAP in the same period. The coalition backing S.60 asked the Legislature for a $20 million appropriation for fiscal year 2026 to seed a special fund that could accept state appropriations, federal funds and philanthropic donations.

Why it matters: Supporters said existing federal and state disaster programs, and private charitable funds, have been important but insufficient or slow. Maddie…