The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) is pleased to announce that it has recently opened applications for the new Vermont Pay for Phosphorus (VPFP) Program, which will be one of the first of its kind in the United States.
This statewide program, which is supported by a $7 million grant award from the national USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) through the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) Alternative Funding Arrangement (AFA), will provide $4.9 million in payments to Vermont farms over 4 years.
Applications are due January 31.
Farms must manage annual crop or hay land, have an up-to-date Nutrient Management Plan that meets the RAPs for their farm size, and meet state and federal eligibility requirements to participate for Calendar Year 2022.
There are two types of payment available:
- First-time enrollees, regardless of phosphorus reductions, are eligible for a one-time management planning and data entry payment of $15 for every acre of data entry successfully completed — up to a cap of $4,000.
- Farms whose data has been entered can choose to be entered into a competitive pool for annual contracts for performance-based phosphorus reduction payments. These annual payments will compensate farms with $100 per pound of eligible phosphorus reductions in 2022, up to an annual cap of $50,000.
Click here to learn more and apply online.
Questions? Contact Brodie Haenke at Brodie.Haenke@vermont.gov or (802) 636-7852.
