Guildhall, Vermont—For the second consecutive year, Vermont farmers are facing devastating losses due to severe flooding. In central and northern Vermont, the remnants of Hurricane Beryl have once again inundated fields, leaving farmers scrambling to assess damage and plan for the future.
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Joe’s Brook Farm, a family-owned vegetable farm, lost 90% of its crops in fields and greenhouses despite efforts to harvest some produce before the flooding. “It’s pretty hard to recover when you get hit twice on the same day two years in a row,” said Mary Skovsted, who co-owns the farm with her husband.
Statewide, farmers are grappling with significant damage. “You’re going to have areas that have been hit twice, maybe three times in the last year,” said Vermont Agriculture Secretary Anson Tebbetts.
The prospects for some feed corn crops rebounding depend heavily on the weather, Tebbetts noted. In response to the crisis, Governor Phil Scott has requested a disaster designation from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to secure federal financial assistance, including low-interest loans, for affected growers.
“The storm’s torrential rains caused innumerable streams and rivers to flood towns, destroy roads and bridges, inundate farms, and ruin crops,” Scott said. “Many Vermont farms had not fully recovered from last year’s destructive storms before they were again under water in the middle of Vermont’s short growing season.”
At Sparrow Arc Farm in Guildhall, potato farmer Matthew Linehan had to use a canoe to show the Vermont agriculture secretary the flooded fields. “The crop has just melted into the ground. It’s toast, absolute toast,” Linehan lamented. Nineteen of the farm’s 52 acres were submerged, resulting in a 36% loss.
Last year, Sparrow Arc Farm lost 20% of its crop and had to take out loans to cover the losses. Linehan plans to avoid planting on low land next year to mitigate the risk. “Two years makes a trend, and we’re not going to be planting anything down low next year because I am never going to be in this position again,” he said.
Joe’s Brook Farm had implemented changes after last July’s flooding, including planting cover crops near the river. However, the recent flooding filled their greenhouses, contaminating thriving tomato and cucumber plants. They can salvage only some of the produce growing above the flood level.
A friend started a GoFundMe page to help Joe’s Brook Farm pay its ten employees, including three men from Jamaica on seasonal work visas. One worker lost the roof of his house, and another had significant damage to his farm back home during Hurricane Beryl. “It’s especially hard for those guys because they were counting on the salary to make repairs to their homes,” Skovsted said.
Another farm, Cross Farm in Barnet, also suffered severe losses. The organic, pasture-based livestock operation needs assistance to replace roofing, hay, and fencing and to clean up mud, debris, and boulders from their barn and pastures. The farm lost 400 chicks when the barn flooded.
Skovsted and her husband are exploring ways to adapt to the extreme weather. Despite suggestions to grow on higher land, they observed that even those areas suffered damage. They remain committed to their community, which has been very supportive. “We want to adapt quickly, but we’re not sure how to do that,” Skovsted said.
Related Stories:
- Vermont: At least one dead in Vermont after devastating flash floods, governor says (July 11, 2024)
- Vermont: Vermont seeks federal damage assessment for floods caused by Hurricane Beryl’s remnants (July 15, 2024)
- Vermont: Vermonters, pummeled by floods exactly a year apart, begin another cleanup (July 12, 2024)
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