Farmers in Vermont Seek Insurance Program After Catastrophic Flooding, US

Small farmers hit by extreme weather in Vermont could receive assistance through a proposed insurance program. The state experienced catastrophic flooding in July, which caused significant damage to farmland and resulted in financial losses for many farmers. Jon Wagner and Karin Bellemare, co-owners of Bear Roots Farm, estimated that the extreme rainfall caused them a 50% financial loss of about $180,000. In response, Vermont U.S. Sen. Peter Welch, along with Sen. Bernie Sanders and senators from Massachusetts, introduced legislation last month to create an insurance program for small produce farms affected by extreme weather. The bill aims to address the gaps in the current crop insurance program, which is inadequate for farmers like Wagner and Bellemare who sell their produce retail. The proposed legislation, called the Withstanding Extreme Agricultural Threats by Harvesting Economic Resilience (WEATHER) act, would direct the U.S. Department of Agriculture to research the possibility of developing an index-based insurance program that would provide payouts based on agricultural income. The Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont has been supporting farmers who have suffered losses but have been unable to recoup them through existing programs. A fundraising campaign has been launched to assist affected farmers, with a goal of raising $20 million, while the estimated need is closer to $45 million according to the Vermont Agency of Agriculture Food & Markets. The extreme weather events, including the flooding and May frost, have affected various types of farmers, including orchard growers, dairy farmers, and vegetable farmers. The proposed insurance program aims to help small farmers withstand the financial impact of increasingly extreme weather conditions in Vermont and other parts of the country.