(Host) The state of Vermont plans to request emergency relief for farms affected by spring flooding – possibly by the end of this week.
Deputy Agriculture Secretary Diane Bothfeld says the governor’s office will request federal disaster declaration for farms in all of Vermont’s 14 counties.
(Bothfeld) "We think that we have plenty of information and plenty of issues here in Vermont so we’re very hopeful that that declaration will be granted, but it is a process."
(Host) Bothfeld says Vermont has been gathering the necessary documentation to request the federal declaration, and she expects the governor’s office will submit the application Friday or Monday morning to federal Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
The declaration would mean Vermont farms could receive assistance at the end of the season to supplement the revenue they lost due to late plantings and low harvest yields.
Bob Paquin is the state director for the USDA Farm Service Agency.
(Paquin) "You can never make the farmer whole – none of these programs will ever do that. But they will help."
(Host) Farms are already able to request federal aid to repair specific damage – such as large gouges in fields that prevent them from being worked.