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NOFA asks House commerce committee to fund $15.6 million farm disaster fund and $500,000 for local food programs

Vermont House Committee on Commerce & Economic Development · February 18, 2026

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Summary

NOFA Vermont urged lawmakers to include $15.6 million for the Farm and Forestry Operations Security Special Fund (S.60) to provide rapid relief for climate-related losses, and requested $500,000 for Crop Cash/Crop Cash Plus and FarmShare programs to expand food security and market support for farmers.

Maddie Kempner, policy and organizing director at NOFA Vermont, told the committee that the Farm and Forestry Operations Security Special Fund (S.60) will provide rapid-response relief payments to farmers and loggers after extreme weather events and must be funded in the FY27 budget to be implemented. "Without an appropriation in the FY27 budget, the fund will not be implemented for the upcoming fiscal year," Kempner said.

Kempner described recent climate-driven losses reported to state agencies that informed the funding request: testimony cited roughly $94 million in documented losses over the past three years (including flood, freeze and drought impacts) and explained that the statute requires an annual report using a formula that averages the previous three years of documented loss and divides by two because payments are intended to cover up to 50% of otherwise uninsured losses.

Joanna Doran, NOFA Vermont’s local food access director, asked the committee to include $500,000 in FY27 to sustain Crop Cash (SNAP incentive) and FarmShare subsidy programs that support market access for farmers and enable low-income households to purchase fresh food. Doran explained that state funding leverages federal dollars: the Crop Cash state match is 1:1 with federal funding and, in their estimate, a $500,000 state appropriation would leverage roughly $1 million in local food spending at farmers markets, stands and CSA programs.

Why it matters: Witnesses framed the two requests as complementary: the disaster fund protects farm viability after shocks while local food programs increase market resiliency and household food access. Committee members asked about whether the $15.6 million was in the governor’s budget (testimony: it was not), about the potential to leverage federal funds (Kempner said the special fund can receive federal and philanthropic dollars and noted $31.5 million USDA funds the state was awaiting), and about eligibility/verification for local food programs (Doran said Crop Cash ties to SNAP; FarmShare uses an application-based approach without strict income verification).

Next steps: NOFA representatives offered to provide more detail and dataset follow-ups requested by committee members; the committee will consider the items within the broader FY27 budget process.