Community Helps Farm During Weather Crisis

When Vermont experienced intense rains and flooding in July, community members turned out to help Intervale Center with an emergency harvest at its farms, says a story in Sierra magazine. Intervale Center found that it was too late to replant long-season crops after the floods, but the floods were early enough in the season that most crops weren’t ready to harvest. Farms in the area are eligible for state aid programs, but some say these won’t begin to cover farmers’ losses, and the extent of federal aid is still unclear at this point. Local community aid efforts have spearheaded helpful donation programs for farmers. “So it’s really community support that is the available resource right now,” says Lindsey Brand, marketing and communications coordinator for the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont. The Northeast has seen an increase in extreme weather events during recent decades.
Related ATTRA publication: Weathering the Storm: A Guide to Preparing for Disaster and Finding Disaster Assistance for your Farm or Ranch