By Sonia Howlett, VT Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets
The Farm Agronomic Practices (FAP) program from the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets supports hundreds of VT farmers every year to install conservation practices like cover cropping, manure injection, and crop rotation. And now, for the first year ever, the per-farm annual payment cap has increased to $10,000.
If you are thinking about installing conservation practices this fall, you have lots of options for grant money to help you make that investment. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) pays the highest rate per acre of practice, so as a first step we recommend working with your local NRCS office to try to get a grant from them. However, if that is still in progress, or isn’t a viable option for your farm, the state FAP program is here for you! Please remember, however, that we cannot fund the same practice on the same field that will be paid for by NRCS.
FAP is relatively flexible, easy to access, and provides flat per-acre payments to help support the cost of conservation installation. For example, FAP can provide $45/acre to support cover crops that are drilled or incorporated, or $30/acre to support manure injection or cover crops that are broadcast or interseeded. Find our webpage at https://agriculture.vermont.gov/fap and fill out a simple form to apply now!
FAP applications which include cover crop or any other fall practices are due August 7, 2023. (NEW! Deadline extended to August 7!)
Other practices funded by FAP include crop to hay planting ($35/acre, or $45/acre with a nurse crop such as oats or peas), no till annual crop planting ($15/acre), and no-till hay and pasture renovation ($20/acre). If you are planning to install spring practices as well as fall practices, please include all practices planned until June 30, 2024 in your fall application.
For more information on the FAP program requirements and to apply go to agriculture.vermont.gov/fap. If you have specific questions about practice eligibility, or how the FAP program works, contact Sonia Howlett at Sonia.Howlett@vermont.gov or 802-522-4655.
Caption: Early plantings of winter rye and radish flourish on an annually cropped field in Rutland County in early fall 2022. This cover crop was funded by a Farm Agronomic Practices grant.
