Agency of Agriculture awards $2.1 million in FY24 ag development grants after more than $44 million requested

The Agency of Agriculture told a legislative committee it awarded $2,100,000 in fiscal year 2024 Ag Development Grants to 25 projects across the meat, maple and produce sectors after receiving more than $44,000,000 in requests from over 500 applications.

The grants were a one‑time appropriation established to support infrastructure investments — such as washpack systems, storage, evaporators and processing equipment — that agency staff said are needed as producers expand into new markets. Abigail “Abby” Willard, director of the Agency of Agriculture’s Agriculture Development Division, described the FY24 round as a pilot and said the agency wrestled with heavy demand and limited funds.

“Most of the produce applications were from diversified operations,” Willard said. “We had over 330 applications from within the maple community, requesting over 17 and a half million. We funded the 25% as statutorily expected with 12 projects.”

Why it matters: committee members were told the awards covered only a small fraction of reported need, highlighting both unmet demand within Vermont’s growing non‑dairy sectors and a possible role for additional state or federal funding. The agency said the FY24 appropriation was $2,300,000;…