On October 21, 2020

More relief money available for farm food

The state has announced $240,000 in additional relief funding was made available through two new Coronavirus Agriculture Assistance Programs that launched this past Friday, Oct. 16.

Farmers Market Relief

The Farmers Market Relief program will provide up to $2,000 to markets that suffered economic harm as a result of the global pandemic. Markets must have earned less than $10,000 in gross revenue in 2019. Markets that earned more can apply for relief through the Agriculture & Working Lands Relief program.

Farm to School Relief

The Farm to School Relief program will reimburse schools and licensed early childcare providers for equipment or supply purchases that were necessitated by the pandemic and that support the goals of farm to school. Those goals include local food procurement, school gardens and agriculture and nutrition education. Eligible applicants can receive up to $10,000.

The joint application will allow organizations to apply for funding from the Agency of Education’s Covid Relief program as well, which covers equipment and/or supplies for school meal programs.

In addition to these two new programs, both the Agriculture & Working Lands and the Dairy Relief programs are reopening this week. The deadline for these programs has been extended to Nov. 15 and eligibility has been expanded for Agriculture &Working Lands. Eligibility changes include: Sole proprietors are now eligible to apply and  businesses with a net profit between March 2020 and August 2020 can now apply.

Do you want to submit feedback to the editor?

Send Us An Email!

Related Posts

Off on the wrong foot

February 5, 2025
At the beginning of the session last month, one of the first daily riddles I shared in our committee was a simple question, “Why is it good to balance on your left foot on New Year’s Eve? Because that way you can start off the new year on the right foot.” Unfortunately, that didn’t happen…

Property tax relief

February 5, 2025
“I can’t afford to live here” and “It’s not worth it” is what I often hear when talking about property taxes. It is one of the main reasons I ran for office — to find a better, more sustainable way to pay for public education. The bulk of most property tax bills is the statewide…

Legislators get first look at proposed funding for governor’s proposed ‘education transformation’

February 5, 2025
By Polly Mikula Since first announcing what they’ve coined the “education transformation” plan on Jan. 22. Governor Phil Scott and his top education officials have gradually unveiled more and more details.  Democratic lawmakers have mostly welcomed Republican Gov. Phil Scott’s grand proposal with cautious optimism. Yet while broad support for a new funding formula and…

Vt legislators introduce bi-partisan bill to phase out tax on Social Security benefits

January 29, 2025
Vermont legislators are calling for support on a bill that seeks to exempt Social Security benefits from state income tax, a move aimed at easing financial burdens for retirees while aligning Vermont with most other states. This proposed legislation, H.74, has over 60 co-sponsors from across all parties and from all corners of the state.  Currently, Vermont is one of…