Vermont growers ask lawmakers for $250,000 fund to expand vineyards, citing tourism and local jobs

At a virtual meeting of the House Committee on Agriculture, Food Resiliency, & Forestry, vineyard owners and industry advocates asked lawmakers to create a dedicated $250,000 fund to help new and expanding growers cover steep startup costs for planting, trellising and equipment.

David Keck, a vineyard owner who farms leased land in Cambridge and Jeffersonville, said the state’s young viticulture industry faces a capital shortfall that grants targeted at agriculture have not addressed. “What I’m proposing is that $250,000 divided, amongst growers exclusively for viticulture, not as a generic agricultural grant, could result in a million dollars in wine production the next 3 to 4 years,” Keck said.

The case for a targeted program rested on two arguments: high up‑front costs and a multi‑year payback period. Keck and others described planting costs of roughly $4 per vine (about $4,300 for 1,000 vines), trellising and anchors of $5,000–$10,000 per acre, and…