By Anson Tebbetts - Vermont Secretary of Agriculture
July 17, 2023 | Montpelier, VT - We all know the story; We have seen the images. We have witnessed the heartbreaking pictures of water tearing through our cities, towns, and villages, uprooting our roads and bridges, flooding our farms, and destroying our crops. This tragic event follows closely on the heels of a hard freeze many of our farmers experienced in May.
As of this writing, it is too early to fully describe or even estimate damages, but it is clear losses will be catastrophic and our farmers, small businesses and agricultural producers will need help. We expect that the excessive flooding and silt will destroy a large share of our produce and livestock feed. In our hilly State, some of our most fertile farmland lies in river valleys. Countless fields of corn, hay, vegetables, fruit, and pasture were swamped and buried.
Vermont’s growing season is short, and a historic flood in the heart of our limited window to grow food and crops is particularly devastating. Many crops cannot be replanted, and losses will not be effectively recovered or mitigated prior to our early fall harvest.
Farming is challenging and rewarding but heavy losses of agricultural products or feed will put many at risk. There is a ripple effect. The disruption to our farms may disrupt our regional food system and our food security. The widespread flooding, we suffered throughout Vermont in July is among the worst of the last century, and it arrived in the heart of our growing season.
Farmers are cleaning up, calculating their losses, and preparing for the fall and winter. The work will not stop.
We want our farmers, producers, and nurseries to document their losses. There will be a time when we will need that information to present to our federal partners including FEMA and the United States Department of Agriculture.
We encourage farmers to visit our webpage (agriculture.vermont.gov/flood) or any of our social media channels. We have put together a packet of resources that may help farmers navigate the many issues they face.
What can the public do? This is the time to support your farmers. Maybe it’s checking on your neighbor to see if they need a hand with a chore or an errand. Maybe it’s attending a farmer’s market or buying meat, cheese or produce from a farmstand. Or maybe you could donate to a fund that’s focused on farmers. There are many.
Farmers are rugged, hard-working, creative, darn tough, curious and kind. They love their land, but they are hurting like the thousands of Vermonters who have lost their homes or businesses.
Farmers feed us and will continue to feed us. Let’s do our part to support them as we navigate this historic event with them.
Anson Tebbetts - Vermont Agriculture Secretary