Agriculture & Working Lands Assistance Application now open

Vermont Business Magazine $8.5 Million in CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Funding is now available to a wide variety of agricultural, food, and forestry businesses and organizations through the Vermont COVID-19 Agriculture Assistance Program (VCAAP) Agriculture and Working Lands Assistance Application.

General Eligibility Criteria

• Farmers, commercial processors, commercial slaughterhouses, farmers’ markets, value-added food product businesses, forest products businesses, dairy producers or processors, and agriculture producer associations are eligible.
• Applicants must have gross annual income of at least $10,000 to apply.
• Applicants must be without an active enforcement violation that reached a final order with VAAFM and/or ANR,
• Applicants must have verifiable losses and/or expenses since March 1, 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 public health emergency.

How to Apply

1. Determine if your business or organization is eligible for assistance by utilizing the Agriculture and Working Lands Eligibility Flowchart.
2. Gather the following documentation: 2019 Tax Return, 2019 and 2020 Income Statements broken out by month, as well as documentation of losses incurred since March 1, 2020 that are related to the COVID-19 public health emergency. Applicants should also have available the information that is captured in a W-9 form, but applicants are not required to submit a signed W-9 with their applications.
3. Attend or view an Agriculture and Working Lands Webinar for Applicants. You may wish to initiate an application in the system prior to attending a webinar to become familiar with the application questions and layout. However, we strongly encourage applicants to wait to submit an application until after you have attended or viewed one of the webinars.
4. Review the Agriculture and Working Lands Application Guide and reference the VCAAP Frequently Asked Questions.
5. Complete and submit your application by October 1, 2020. If you need assistance throughout this process, refer to our list of Agriculture Business Support partners. Please keep in mind that grants will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, so the application may close prior to October 1 if all funds are expended.

Webinars: Agriculture & Working Lands Application The Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets is hosting one more webinar tomorrow for the agriculture community about this application. These webinars provide an overview of the funding, eligibility, and application. See webinar dates and details below. Visit our website for more information on the webinars. Webinar on Agriculture and Working Lands Application: Tuesday, August 25, 10 - 11am Recorded webinars for both applicants and support organizations and partners will be available on our website. Vermont Farm & Food Business COVID-19 Survey The University of Vermont, along with the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets, are conducting a research survey of farm and food businesses to better understand their experiences with COVID-19 and future resource and technical assistance needs. The survey is approximately 20 minutes in length, confidential, and can help inform future funding priorities with COVID-19 relief and other funding sources. Participants will be eligible for a drawing for one of 40, $99 cash incentives. Participants must be 18 years of age or older. Questions about the survey can be directed to Meredith Niles at [email protected].