The disastrous flooding that occurred over the last two years affected many Vermonters. The damage done was more than a family or a business could repair on their own; some form of assistance was needed to help. Damage to farm fields and crops was particularly severe and many farmers were unable to get aid until long after their crops were lost.
The lag between damage and assistance affects farmers doubly. When the current crop is lost, a delay in recovery puts the next year’s crop in jeopardy. What is urgently needed is a Vermont farm disaster impact recovery fund.
Farmers’ stewardship of the land produces our food. As if that were not important enough, farmers are an iconic part of Vermont culture. Is it conceivable that Vermont could be Vermont without farms? I say that almost all Vermonters would give you an odd quizzical look and say, “Nope.”
Farms are small businesses. The 2024 Feeding the Economy Report shows the direct output of the agricultural and food sector in Vermont was $9.27 billion with $2.63 billion in business taxes generated.
Without the rapid relief that a farm disaster impact recovery fund could provide, Vermont farm production drops. That means diminished access to fresh, locally produced food. It means a loss of jobs and a drop in the state’s business tax revenue. It leads to a loss of farmers and farmlands.
All those losses would erode our culture — “And all for the want of a horseshoe-nail” as the rhyme that Ben Franklin recorded reminds us. Let’s not lose farm production for want of a farm disaster impact recovery fund.
Chris Rice
Lyndonville
