MONTPELIER, Vt. — The Vermont Farm & Forest Viability Program, a program of the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board (VHCB), announces its 2024 grant awards to working lands entrepreneurs, totaling $943,745.00 to support businesses improvements and improve water quality. This year, 20 farm businesses were awarded $807,626 to invest in on-farm capital improvements that enhance water quality. Additionally, 18 farm and forest businesses were awarded $136,119 to complete projects that support business development and viability.
The Vermont Farm & Forest Viability Program’s Water Quality Grants are funded by the State of Vermont through Vermont’s Capital Construction and State Bonding Act. Since 2017, the program has awarded more than $5.2 million in Water Quality Grants. In 2024, awards were made to 20 farms in Windham, Orange, Franklin, Washington, Chittenden, Orleans, Addison, Caledonia, & Windsor counties. Grants were awarded to both organic and conventional farms, and include cow dairies, cattle farms, and creameries. These projects will improve manure management and soil health, reduce runoff, minimize feed imports into Vermont, and ultimately support the long-term success of farm enterprises. These goals are exemplified by the 2023 award made to Spring Valley Treasure (SVT) Farm, owned and operated by Laura Burch and Chris Brayman in Wells, VT. VHCB funds supported a covered livestock shelter and compost site, their first on-farm water quality upgrade since starting the businesses in 2020.
“Our business success plan to harden our resiliency, lead towards holistic solutions, and produce excellent beef, lamb, and wool is supported by this project as our historic homestead barn structures aren’t suitable for livestock due to decay, historical value, and out-dated function,” said Burch. “The project has modernized a farm otherwise unable to survive extreme weather without damaging soil health and water purity. This project was a perfect fit for our farm’s priority to preserve the quality of water.”
The Vermont Farm & Forest Viability Program’s Implementation Grants help recent program clients implement aspects of their business plan and improve long-term viability. The program provides farm, food, and forest businesses with business coaching, transition planning, and technical assistance through a network of service provider organizations, including the Center for an Agricultural Economy, the Intervale Center, Land for Good, the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA-VT), and UVM Extension Services. This year, $136,119.00 were awarded to 18 businesses in Windsor, Chittenden, Caledonia, Bennington, Grand Isle, Addison, Franklin, Rutland, Orange, Lamoille, Windham, and Washington counties. Grantees represent a variety of working lands businesses in Vermont including livestock, dairy, and diversified produce farms, food processors, and forest products businesses.
In 2023, one of the many impressive Implementation Grant projects was completed by David Keck, owner of Stella14 Wines. Keck started leasing the Boyden Valley Winery & vineyard in June of 2020 to start up his business. The first few years of operation were a complicated maze of regulations, poor growing conditions, and infrastructure updates, but today Stella14 is thriving and producing foot-trod, Vermont-grown wine. In 2023, Stella14 received an implementation grant of $9,621.59 to fund a forklift, de-stemmer, bottling line, and labeler to build out the winery. “The program has really helped me understand the nuts and bolts of the business and consider factors I hadn’t prior.” said Keck.
2024 Water Quality Grant Awards –$807,626.00 to 20 farms
McKnight Farm, East Montpelier, VT: $50,000 for a manure storage structure
Grass Cattle Company LLC, Charlotte, VT: $50,000 for a bedded pack facility
Sunday Bell Farm, Danville, VT: $50,000 for a covered dairy cattle barnyard, feed bunk & manure storage
Clair-A-Den Farm, East Hardwick, VT: $50,000 for an NRCS manure storage & bedded pack
Mailles Dairy LLC, Shelburne, VT: $6,400 for a no-till grain drill
Ethan Illingworth Farm, Westminster, VT: $50,000 for manure management improvements & roof runoff structure
Lindstrom Farm, West Danville, VT: $50,000 for an NRCS waste storage facility
Allendale Farm LLC, Vergennes, VT: $50,000 for NRCS manure management improvements, perimeter fencing & access road
Alan & Karen Bathalon, North Troy, VT: $50,000 for a waste storage facility
Choquette Dairy LLC, Enosburg Falls, VT: $12,000 for a manure injector toolbar
von Trapp Farmstead, Waitsfield, VT: $50,000 for a bedded pack system expansion
Robeth Holsteins LLC, Rochester, VT: $50,000 for a covered barnyard expansion
Seize the Day Farm, Tunbridge, VT: $17,226 for a hoop barn
Miller Farm Inc., Vernon, VT: $50,000 for a concrete manure pit & pump
Bobolink Farm LLC, East Montpelier, VT: $43,000 for a covered winter barnyard
Critter Meadows Farm, Williamstown, VT: $43,000 for a barn roof gutter cleaner
Manning Dairy LLC, St. Albans, VT: $25,000 for a manure injection drag line system
Hillside Homestead, Craftsbury, VT: $43,000 for a covered barnyard and bedded back system
Breezy Acres Farm, Richford, VT: $43,000 for a bedded pack system
Cornerstone Dairy LLC, Irasburg, VT: $25,000 for a manure injection hose
2024 Implementation Grant Awards—$136,119.00 to 18 farm, food, and forest businesses
Grateful Morning Dairy, Shaftsbury, VT: $8,000 for creamery installation
Happy Bird Poultry Farm, Isle La Motte, VT: $8,000 for a summer broiler barn
Hauskaa, Burke, VT: $6,500 for packaging redesign & shelving
La Montañuela, New Haven, VT: $8,000 for vineyard installation
Mayo’s Maple Farm, Richford, VT: $8,000 for an automatic pan washer
Milkweed Farm, Westminster, VT: $7,986 for farm store infrastructure
New Tradition Farm, Huntington, VT: $5,173 for soil improvement equipment
Patrick & Melanie Harrison, Addison, VT: $8,000 for a milking parlor upgrade
The Sole Connection Farm, Arlington, VT: $8,000 for in-house fruiting block production
Waterman Orchards, Johnson, VT: $8,000 for outfitting a new retail and processing facility
Ascutney Harvest, Windsor, VT: $8,000 for a farmstand
Blackbird Organics, Plainfield, VT: $7,940 for produce wash and pack facility
blue house mushroom, Ferrisburgh, VT: $7,762 for a mushroom grow room
Stitchdown Farm, Bethel, VT: $6,000 for a flower dehydrator
Sunday Bell Farm, Danville, VT: $6,758 for a milking parlor
Lazy Dog Farm, Orwell, VT: $8,000 for an animal lean-to
Wild Earth Farm, Randolph, VT: $8,000 for a sheep-handling system
Papa John’s Sugar Shack, Mount Holly, VT: $8,000 for Okemo state forest expansion
The Vermont Farm & Forest Viability Program is a program of the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board (VHCB) that provides business planning, technical assistance, and ownership transition planning to farm, food, and forest products businesses. For more information about the Viability Program, please visit www.vhcb.org/viability.
–Vermont Farm & Forest Viability Program
