Vermont Agriculture Flood Loss and Damage Survey Released
Farms affected by July 2024 flooding are asked to complete a Flood Impact survey to capture loss and damage to agricultural community
July 21, 2024 | Montpelier, VT – Following major flooding caused by the remnants of Tropical Storm Beryl on July 10th, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (VAAFM) is launching a new Flood Loss and Damage Survey to understand the impact on Vermont farms. Last week’s flooding comes on the heels of severe weather last season that caused significant damage and economic harm to farms and food producers across the state. Many of these Vermonters, still not fully recovered from last year’s crisis, are once again facing uncertainty and trauma.
**The 2024 Agriculture Flood Loss and Damage Survey is closed as of September 15th, 2024. A final update to the dashboard results will be made in the first few weeks of October, 2024.**
VAAFM in coordination with the Vermont Agricultural Recovery Task Force is asking flood-impacted agricultural producers to participate in the 2024 Flood Loss and Damage Survey. The purpose of this survey is to capture the scale and location of the flood-related damage agricultural producers suffered throughout the state starting on July 10, 2024. The survey will remain open to capture information on loss and damages until the deadline of September 15, 2024. Participants are welcome to submit more than one report, if they incur additional losses, but we request that they only report “new” impact.
VAAFM asks that any agricultural business, organization, or individual that raises animals, meat, or poultry and/or grows feed or crops for anyone beyond your immediate family fill out this survey. This survey does not include forestry or cannabis production, or food industry and security businesses who do not complete production activities (ex: slaughter facilities, gleaning organizations, aggregation and distribution facilities). This survey should take between 10 and 15 minutes to complete.
After flooding and severe weather impacts in 2023, a similar effort was undertaken to gather data on the extent of impacts which provided crucial data to support making additional resources available to Vermont Farms. In 2023, VT farms suffered more than $16 million in losses across more than 27,000 acres. To learn more about the 2023 impacts, please review the 2023 Extreme Weather Impact & Recovery Report.
For more information on farm flood guidance and next steps for farms who have experienced flooding please visit agriculture.vermont.gov/flood, or email at agr.floodresponse@vermont.gov, or call 802-828-2430.
The VAAFM team has worked closely with the Vermont Ag Recovery Task Force to develop a single survey, rather multiple similar surveys, as in 2023. The July 2024 Loss and Damage Survey includes input from the following partners:
- Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont
- University of Vermont Extension
- USDA - Farm Service Agency
- USDA - Natural Resources Conservation Services
- Vermont Association of Conservation Districts and individual districts
- Vermont Housing & Conservation Board and Vermont Farm and Forest Viability Program
