The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets (AAFM) has recently announced $7 million in awards through the Agricultural Clean Water Initiative Program (AgCWIP). These grants will support 23 full-time equivalent positions across seven local and regional organizations to provide Vermont farmers education and assistance on water quality and conservation.
Personalized, local education and technical assistance is a vital part of helping farms achieve water quality goals and regulatory compliance. AgCWIP grants provide statewide access to free and low-cost assistance that would otherwise be limited or unavailable.
Under these new AgCWIP grants, funded organizations will provide nearly 1,375 free one-on-one consultations and technical assistance visits to farms across Vermont over a two-year period. Key services provided include soil and manure sampling, Nutrient Management Planning, grant writing for farms seeking financial assistance for conservation practices, project planning, case management, and more. Awards will also fund special topics such as climate resiliency planning and the development of statewide peer-to-peer farmer networks.
Funded organizations will also organize over 160 educational events or on-farm workshops across Vermont related to water quality, conservation practices, and the Required Agricultural Practices (RAPs). Other educational activities supported under these AgCWIP grants will include agricultural conservation newsletters, websites, and media postings on environmental topics.
AgCWIP Grant Recipients include the following:
- University of Vermont Extension (Includes 5 delivery teams) - $3,126,268
- VT Natural Resources Conservation Council and 13 individual Conservation Districts - $2,500,000
- Champlain Valley Farmer Coalition, Inc. - $551,470
- Farmer Watershed Alliance - $356,910
- American Farmland Trust - $242,163
- Northeast Organic Farmer Association - $163,375
- Vermont Grass Farmers Association - $135,759
“Investing in these organizations, is investing in our agricultural community. Organizations receiving these awards provide individualized assistance to farms for improving water quality, protecting natural resources, and promoting long-term environmental and economic viability across our agricultural landscape,” explained Secretary of Agriculture Anson Tebbetts.
To learn more about the activities funded by each agreement and what services may be available to your farm or community, please scan the adjacent QR code with your phone camera to link you to our AgCWIP Webpage - https://agriculture.vermont.gov/agricultural-clean-water-initiative-program.
Funding is supported by the Clean Water Fund, which was developed as part of Act 64, and the American Rescue Plan Act supporting strategies in the Vermont Climate Action Plan.
Description: A group of farmers and agricultural technical assistance providers discuss manure injection in Addison County, Vermont. Supported by AgCWIP, the Champlain Valley Farmer Coalition hosted a “Farmer Connect: Manure Injection” event where local farmers and peers, UVM Extension Agronomy Specialists, and VAAFM staff discussed the benefits and challenges of manure injection on Vermont farms. (Photo Credit: Champlain Valley Farmer Coalition)
Description: A group of farmers and agricultural technical assistance providers gather around a stream in Fletcher, Vermont. The Franklin County Natural Resources Conservation District in partnership with the Northeast Organic Farmer Association, Vermont Land Trust, and host farm, Boneyard Farm, hosted this event to discuss conservation work to improve water quality. At this educational event, attendees were able to observe and learn about practices that this farm had installed, with support from Franklin County NRCD and the NRCD Trees For Streams Program, to protect riparian buffer areas on the farm, exclude livestock from waters, plant forest riparian buffers, and restore streams. (Photo Credit: Franklin County Natural Resources Conservation District)