By Nina Gage, Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets
Any farm that has 50 acres or more of annual crops, houses 50 or more mature dairy cows, or 75 cattle, heifers, veal calves, cow/calf pairs, or youngstock, or 40 horses, or a combination of animals with a total live weight that equals more than 90,000 pounds is now considered a CSFO (Certified Small Farm Operation)(for complete CSFO criteria visit: www.agriculture.vermont.gov/sfo). For all CSFOs, 2019 Annual Certifications are due by January 31, 2019.
If you have already submitted your Certification Form in 2017 or 2018, then you will receive a letter via your preferred method of communication, mail or email, to complete the Certification Form for 2019. Certifications will be required by January 31 of each year. The Agency has currently received more than 330 CSFO certifications in 2017 and 2018, enabling staff to contact farm operators and ensure operators have access to all the financial and technical resources available to them.
The goal of this program is to support farmers to ensure their clear understanding of the Required Agricultural Practices (RAPs) while providing assistance to assess, plan and implement any necessary conservation and management practices that might be necessary to meet water quality goals.
Curious what an inspection will be like? Please go to http://agriculture.vermont.gov/SFO-Video to watch a video about a small farm inspection. If you are still unsure if you are required to certify, don’t hesitate to call The Agency at (802) 828-2431. All CSFOs need to complete their one-page Annual Certification Form by January 31, 2019 which can be completed online at www.agriculture.vermont.gov/sfo, or by calling the Agency at (802) 828-2431 to request the mailing of a paper form.
