$12,643 Awarded to Small and Medium Farmers' Markets
In Act 154 (H.969), the Vermont State Legislature authorized the Secretary of Agriculture to award Coronavirus Relief Funds to farmers’ markets with less than $10,000 in annual gross sales.* The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (VAAFM) awarded $12,643 to seven farmers’ markets that experienced lost revenues or expenses due to the COVID-19 public health emergency. Markets were eligible to receive awards of up to $2,000.
Impact
Learn more about the Vermont COVID-19 Agriculture Assistance Program (VCAAP) in the VCAAP Impact Report.
Eligibility
The eligibility requirements for the VCAAP Farmers' Market Relief Application, as established by the Vermont State Legislature and the CARES Act, were as follows. Applicants–
- Must be domiciled or have a primary place of business in Vermont;
- Must meet the definition of a farmers’ market: “An event or series of events at which two or more vendors of agricultural products, as defined in 11 V.S.A § 991, gather for purposes of offering for sale to the public their agricultural products;”
- Must have annual gross sales of less than $10,000 in tax year 2019; *
- Must have experienced lost revenues and/or expenses related to the COVID-19 public health emergency between March 1 and November 1, 2020; and supporting financial documentation must clearly identify those lost revenues and/or expenses attributable to COVID-19.
The only losses and expenses eligible for reimbursement under this program were those directly related to the operation and maintenance of a farmers’ market. Losses or expenses experienced by individual vendors as well as costs unrelated to the operation of the farmers’ market were excluded.
*Farmers’ markets with annual gross sales of more than $10,000 were eligible to apply for assistance under the Agriculture and Working Lands Application.
Contact Us
(802) 828-2430 select #9
AGR.CovidResponse@vermont.gov
