Working Lands officials tell Vermont Senate committee demand far outpaces grant funds

Montpelier — Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets officials and partner agencies briefed the Vermont Senate Committee on Agriculture on Tuesday, Feb. 11, on the Working Lands Enterprise Initiative, saying the program has funded a wide range of farm and forestry projects since its creation in 2012 but faces demand that far exceeds available grant dollars.

The presentation, led by Deputy Secretary Allison Eastman and vice chair Alicia Utter of the Working Lands Enterprise Board, laid out the program’s statutory origin, governance, review process, FY24 results and examples of grantees whose projects ranged from milking robotics to new grain infrastructure.

The Working Lands Enterprise Fund was created by the Vermont Legislature in 2012, and the board that oversees its grants was reorganized in 2015 to combine agricultural and forestry representation. Agency staff described a 20‑seat board that includes sector representatives and three ex officio organizations (Vermont Economic Development Authority, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund and Vermont Housing Conservation Board) that help preserve institutional memory when membership turns over.

Presenters said the program emphasizes three design elements: expert, sector‑based review cohorts; flexible funding to respond to both individual business needs and targeted market‑level opportunities; and a commitment to timely applicant notifications (staff said award decisions are communicated within about two months after application). In FY24 the program reviewed roughly 345 applications and funded 65 projects, they said; presenters also reported that applicants requested about $16 million in FY24 while available grant funds were roughly $3 million that cycle.

Speakers highlighted program impacts the agency summarized since 2012: approximately $18.8 million in grants and contracts to working‑lands businesses and service providers, about $30.9 million in matching funds leveraged, roughly 24,985 acres affected by grants, and roughly $92 million in sales generated by grantee businesses. Presenters said the awards helped create or sustain on the order of hundreds of jobs (agency staff cited roughly 540 jobs as a program‑level total).

Examples cited during the briefing illustrated the program’s scope across scales and sectors. Belter Family Partnership received a $250,000 award to install milking robots to save labor hours and shift worker responsibilities; Sweetland Farm received about $190,000 to install biomass and solar systems to support winter growing and storage with a goal of supplying produce year‑round; Carbon Brook Orchard received $15,000 for orchard resilience work; and Thornhill Farms’ Champlain Valley Grain Center received $150,000 to build regional grain handling capacity. Service‑provider investments included support for loan programs (the Sprout Loan Program) and training cohorts in employment law and marketing for farm and forest businesses.

Speakers emphasized equity, workforce and climate resilience as evolving evaluation categories. The application rubric includes business viability, financial review, work plans, budgets and a suite of impacts such as acres in production, increased product output and equity or inclusion impacts. Presenters said equity is one of several impact criteria and does not by itself determine awards; it is treated as an element of a broader 100‑point scoring framework.

Forests, Parks and Recreation Commissioner Danielle Fitzko (spoke as commissioner) described the importance of larger awards to the forestry supply chain, noting that smaller historical awards (around $20,000) rarely covered capital needs in forestry. She cited examples of grant recipients that bought equipment to increase productivity or expanded sawmill capacity, and said scaled investments help keep wood‑manufacturing and downstream markets viable in Vermont.

Agency staff said the program offers feedback to unsuccessful applicants and refers some applicants to free business advising (Farm and Forest Viability Program, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund coaching, REDI through VHCB) and to subsidized loan opportunities so near‑ready projects can progress even if they don’t receive Working Lands grants.

Presenters also listed other funding sources that have been paired with Working Lands awards in the past, including a Northern Border Regional Commission award and one‑time ARPA/state funds that allowed some larger, catalyst‑style awards in FY24.

No formal votes or policy changes were taken during the briefing; the session was an informational presentation followed by questions.

The committee invited grantees to appear at a follow‑up session to share outcomes in greater detail and asked staff to coordinate return visits and additional briefings on topics such as grain infrastructure and transitions away from dairy.

Ending — Committee members expressed support for the program’s wraparound services and urged staff to seek additional funding sources to meet demand. Staff said they will continue to offer applicant feedback, recruit expert reviewers, and bring grantees to testify at future meetings.