Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets A new report is illuminating the health of the honeybee population in Vermont, with a significant increase in bees since 2016 emphasizing the care, cultivation and collaboration of beekeepers and officials in the Green Mountain State.
The Apiary Program within the Division of Public Health and Agricultural Resource Management of the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) registers, inspects, and provides education and training to Vermont’s beekeepers. Beekeepers are required to register their apiary locations and report the number of colonies (hives) they maintain. For the 2023 registration, they reported the highest number of colonies on record, 17,145. In 2016, for comparison, Vermont’s number of registered colonies was 9,715, representing a 43% increase over the seven-year period.
The increase in colony numbers is a testament to the hard work and dedication of Vermont’s beekeepers. Beekeepers, like all agricultural producers, face many challenges while producing high quality food. Challenges include weather, starvation, bear predation, Varroa mite infestation, and other factors, including periodic exposure to insecticides applied to protect crops. VAAFM has adopted rules to protect bees from pesticide exposure, and we investigate and enforce those rules, as well as enforcing pesticide use directions on pesticide labels designed to protect bees. Read More...
Vermont Pay For Performance Program
Application Opens January 1, 2024
By Brodie Haenke, VT Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets
Farmers interested in participating in the Vermont Pay For Performance Program will be able to submit applications January 1-31, 2024 by visiting our webpage at www.agriculture.vermont.gov/VPFP. This program provides performance-based payments to Vermont farmers for reducing phosphorus losses from their agricultural fields. Reductions in phosphorus losses are estimated using a web-based environmental modeling application called FarmPREP (Farm Phosphorus Reduction Planner). First time enrollees, regardless of their P-reductions, are eligible for a data entry payment of $15 per acre they enroll in the program (up to $4,000). Because this program relies on farm management data, ideal program participants are farms that are comfortable using computers, keep organized field and nutrient records, and are interested in learning about their farm management with new environmental modeling tools. Read More...
More Pay-For-Performance Information and Eligibility
NE-DBIC:
Looking Back at the Impact of Dairy Funding in 2023
By Katie Spring, Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center
This past year was a big funding year for the Northeast Dairy Business Innovation Center (NE-DBIC). With over 120 grants and contracts, the NE-DBIC awarded over $18.3 million across our 11-state region. Over $5.9 million went to Vermont dairy farmers and processors.
Two new grant programs stood out:
With a focus on climate and community-forward production strategies, the Dairy Farm Innovation & Alternative Management Grant saw $1.07 million go to farmers to implement projects that enhance the resilience of our Northeast regional food system. These projects range from studying and promoting extended lactation on goat dairy farms, creating a silvopasture grazing system, managing herds with geofencing, and more.
The Existing Dairy Processor Expansion Grant awarded $12.2 million to 35 processors across eight states. Over 3,200 dairy farmers benefit from this one-time catalytic investment, which stabilizes and expands options for their milk and increases the amount of local dairy on store shelves. Read More...
USDA Extends Application Deadline for Discrimination Financial Assistance Program to January 13
By U.S. Department of Agriculture
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is extending the deadline for the Discrimination Financial Assistance Program to January 13, 2024, to give eligible farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners more time to apply for assistance. The original deadline was October 31, 2023.
This deadline extension is responsive to feedback from potential applicants, nongovernmental program administrators and community-based organizations working closely with USDA to inform and assist eligible individuals. The new deadline will allow more time to reach and help farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners through direct, no-cost technical assistance and training sessions. The extension will also ensure everyone has adequate time to apply, including producers whose harvest season falls during the original application period. Read More...
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