By Sonia Howlett, VT Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets
The Farm Agronomic Practices (FAP) program from the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets supports hundreds of Vermont farmers every year to install conservation practices like cover cropping and manure injection.
If you are thinking about installing conservation practices, you have lots of options for grants to help you pay for the seed or trucking. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) pays the highest rate per acre, so as a first step we recommend working with your local NRCS office to try to get a grant from them. If not, the state FAP program is here for you! Note that the state FAP program cannot pay for the same practice on the same field that will be paid for by NRCS in the same year.
FAP is relatively flexible, easy to access, and provides flat per-acre payments up to $10,000 per year to help support the cost of conservation practices. Broadcast or inter-seeded cover crops is paid at $30/acre and seeding is expected to be completed by October 1st. Drilled and otherwise incorporated cover crops is paid at $45/acre and seeding is expected to be completed by October 10th. Manure injection is paid at $30/acre and is expected to comply with Required Agricultural Practice requirements.
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.
