Vermont Pay for Performance Applications Open June 2026

by Sumner Kravitz, VT Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets

The USDA funded Vermont Pay for Performance (VPFP) Pilot Program supported its fourth season of farm participants through the 2025 season.  A new state-funded version of the program will be open for applications from June 1, 2026 - July 15, 2026.

The program has been updated based on feedback from farmers and service providers. The second round will be similar to the pilot version, with a few changes made to improve farmer experience, technical assistance service, and program contribution toward improving state water quality.

Results from Pilot Program:

What’s New:

• You can now get paid in three ways:
  • For entering data (with help from an assigned Technical Assistance Provider)
  • For field-by-field conservation practices used each season
  • For environmental performance
• The way performance payments are calculated has changed. Payments for phosphorus reduction based on the historic baseline data are no longer included. Instead, performance will be assessed by whole-farm loss of pounds of Phosphorus per acre. This will be calculated at a linear rate so that payment will increase as pounds P205 per acre decreases.
• The total yearly amount you can receive is now capped at $43,000, with limits for each type of payment:
  • Data entry: up to $3,000
  • Practice payments: up to $10,000
  • Stewardship (performance): up to $30,000
• Everyone must complete a Phase 1 “Planning Year” in their first year, even if you participated in the VPFP pilot program. During this planning year, you’ll only receive practice and data entry payments—not performance payments. The most a farm can receive in the planning year is $13,000.
• If you are already being paid through other programs (like FAP, EQIP, CSP, RCPP, or CIG) for certain practices (specifically cover cropping, no-till, manure injection, or rotational grazing), you cannot participate in VPFP at the same time.
• All farms will be assigned an individual Technical Assistance Provider to support your operation’s engagement in the program.
• After successful completion of the first-year planning phase, program enrollment may be offered for 4 years.

Want to stay up to date? 
Contact Sumner Kravitz at [email protected] or Jamie Cohen at [email protected] to join the mailing list or ask questions. 

Join us in Celebrating the International Year of the Woman Farmer!

By Trevor Audet, VT Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets

 Meet Sara Schlosser from Sandiwood Farm!

Sandiwood Farm, located in Wolcott, VT, provides high-quality, low impact, farm products and services offering a unique, beautiful farm venue for one-of-a-kind events, artisan maple syrup with nationwide shipping, farmstand produce & value-added farm products and farm stay experiences. They help people have authentic recreational, dining and farm stays and connect with fresh produce which keeps our farmland in production. 

“I am honored and committed to being a steward of the land,” Sara says.  “Using regenerative, sustainable growing practices, I am proud to supply our community, family, and friends with nutritious produce and contribute to Vermont’s sustainable food systems.”    

The United Nations declared 2026 the International Year of the Woman Farmer to spotlight the essential roles women play across agriculture and food systems.  Women farmers and food producers are vital to food security, nutrition and economic resilience, and this celebration of women in farming hopes to raise awareness and promote actions to close gender gaps and improve women’s livelihoods around the world. 

Agriview will be sharing more celebrations of Vermont women farmers throughout the year!

More Agriview Articles Here

The Vermont Farm Show is Back!

By Kim Stinson, Vermont Farm Show

It is official! The Vermont Farm Show will return next spring, April 16-17, 2027, at the Champlain Valley Exposition, Essex Junction, VT! 

The re-envisioned event will bring together farmers, producers, industry, and the public for an experience that honors tradition while embracing innovation. This truly marks a new chapter for the Farm Show, as it pursues a federal 501(c)3 nonprofit tax status and develop year-round educational opportunities aimed at strengthening Vermont's farms, and the public's connection to the working landscape.

The 2027 relaunch of the show will feature interactive exhibits, updated programming, and enhanced opportunities for education, networking, and community engagement. The show aims to strengthen connections between farmers and consumers while providing a collaboration across the agricultural sector in Vermont. Attendees can expect a dynamic lineup in 2027, including local food and product vendors highlighting Vermont-grown goods, exhibits showcasing the vast diversity of services and businesses connected to agriculture in Vermont, and family friendly activities designed to educate and inspire the next generation. You are invited to join in the networking opportunities which will offer an unparalleled place to identify and cultivate connections as the Farm Show celebrates Vermont’s unique agriculture sector in support of its future.

The Farm Show team has been working hard to get to this point, and there remains much work to do before we meet in April. To stay informed, updates will be posted the Farm Show’s website and Facebook page.

The Farm Show looks forward to gathering with everyone again next April. If you are interested in joining as an exhibitor and/or sponsor for the 2027 show, or are looking for additional information, please contact Kim Stinson at [email protected]

Free Event Series Connects Vermont Farmers and Restaurant Buyers

By Tara Pereira, Wild Pear Creative

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets has launched a free event series designed to strengthen working relationships between Vermont farms and the restaurants that buy locally grown food. "Local Food in Practice: Restaurant and Farm Partnerships" includes nine events running April through September 2026, with a mix of farm tours, restaurant visits, industry meet-ups, and a virtual webinar held at locations across the state.

The series is part of a broader effort to grow the market for Vermont-grown vegetables, fruits, herbs, honey, maple products, and more through restaurant channels, including direct farm-to-restaurant relationships and food hub distribution networks.

Events are designed for Vermont farmers, restaurant owners, chefs, and food buyers at all experience levels. The series kicked off in April with a networking event at The Tillerman in Bristol. There are two events coming up this month, including a webinar and a networking event.

All events are free. Registration and the complete schedule are available at https://shorturl.at/nKq28.

• May 19 | Webinar: Sourcing and Selling for the Restaurant Market (online, free) | 4 - 5pm
• May 26 | Networking Event: Pearl Street Pizza, Barre 4 - 6pm
• June 1 | Farm Tour: Intervale Center, BTV | 10am - 12pm (for restaurant staff and buyers)
• June 16 | Networking Event: The Putney Diner, Putney | 4 - 6pm
• July 13 | Farm Tour: Root 5 Farm, Fairlee | 1pm - 3pm (for restaurant staff and buyers)
• July 20 | Networking Event: Shelburne Farms, Shelburne | 4 - 6pm
• August 17 | Vineyard Tour: Snow Farm Vineyard & Ellison Estate Vineyard 12 - 3pm | (for restaurant staff and buyers)
• September 1 | Farm Tour: Lemon Fair Honeyworks, Cornwall | 10am-12pm (for restaurant staff and buyers)

All events are free. Register at https://shorturl.at/nKq28.

These events are being produced by Wild Pear Creative LLC in partnership with the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets. Contact: [email protected] with any questions related to this series. This project is funded through a USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant held by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets.

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