by Lindsay Quella, Vermont Farm and Forest Viability Program In early 2014, Chris and Annie Wagner, owners and operators of Green Dream Farm in Enosburg Falls, faced a challenge with which many farmers are familiar. They wanted to make several small upgrades that would greatly impact their farm, but at the time they were not in a financial position to do so. Worn stalls needed replacing; they wanted to add misters and new mattresses for the cows; and after building a manure composter, they needed a structure to house the compost bedding. At the same time, “we were purchasing the neighboring farm to better manage our heifers,” said Annie. In July 2014, they applied for a $32,250 Dairy Improvement Grant through the Vermont Farm & Forest Viability Program, a program of the Vermont Housing & Conservation Board. They were awarded the grant, which the Wagners matched nearly two to one.
The Viability Program has awarded two rounds of Dairy Improvement Grants over the past two years with funding from Commonwealth Dairy, LLC, a yogurt producer in Brattleboro. Grants are intended to increase farm viability and improve milk production and quality. The grant program also prioritizes water quality improvements and while this was not required in the first two rounds, half of the projects funded will positively affect soil health and water quality. Funded projects have also yielded significant improvements in cow comfort, animal welfare, worker safety, and quality of life for farming families.
To be eligible for all rounds of grants thus far, farmers were required to be selling milk to the St. Albans Cooperative or to Dairy Farmers of America (where Commonwealth Dairy sources its milk). In the first two rounds, 27 farms have been awarded a total of $704,631, leveraging an additional $3,267,933 in on-farm investments. Funded projects include milking parlor renovations, new barn construction, robotic milking systems, equipment purchases, and manure infrastructure improvements. In aggregate, the farms represent 150 million lbs of milk shipped annually, $32 million in gross annual income, 7,546 cows, and 192 jobs.
For the Wagners, the focus of their project was on improving cow comfort—beneficial for both their animals and their bottom line. “If we take care of our cows,” said Annie, “then our cows produce milk and stay healthy, and that’s what creates profit.” Chris put the trickle-down effect this way: “When the cows feel better, we’re a lot more efficient in the barn. We’re not running after them trying to maintain them or help them recover from some malady.” “For both of us, our cows come first,” Annie added. “Everything else is there to serve the cows. So if we take care of the cows, we take care of the rest of our business.”
Later this summer, the Viability Program will announce a third round of grants awarded to dairy farmers in 2016—all of which were required to positively impact water quality on farms. This fall, a fourth round of Dairy Improvement Grants, not exclusively for water-quality related projects, will open for new applications.
For more information visit: www.vhcb.org/viability
Source: VAAFM