Global Courant
Vermont state and federal officials on Monday urged farmers to document and report the damage from catastrophic flooding that hit the state two weeks ago and crops in the rural mountainous state known for its scenic farmland.
They toured Paul Mazza’s fruit and vegetable farm, where the fields were under 20 feet of water during the floods, including row after row of blueberry bushes loaded with berries and corn. The crops are now contaminated and unmarketable. Mazza, who has seven farms in different locations, estimates he has about 25% of his produce left. Fields are covered with sediment and heaps of sand from the river.
“It’s a killer. My head is just spinning,” Mazza said. “I lost my shirt,” he added.
NORTHEAST FLOODS WASH FARMERS AS MILLIONS OF CROPS WASH AWAY
A 2021 state government report on Vermont agriculture credited maple producers, apple orchards, ranches, cheese and ice cream for having “long defined the Vermont experience” and said agriculture is a major driver of the state’s economy. “Small towns cannot thrive without economic opportunity or without the innovation that agri-food businesses bring to our rural landscapes,” the authors wrote. “And unless Vermont farming families can sustainably live off their open productive farmland, it will become a target for development, chiseled off and sold, or become overgrown and underused.”
Democratic Senator Peter Welch of Vermont examines crops on one of Paul Mazza’s farms, which suffered significant damage from recent catastrophic flooding. (AP Photo/Lisa Rathke)
The latest storms in Richmond have flooded several hundred acres of corn and several hundred acres of hay on Conant’s dairy farm. “The speed of the water coming through was tremendous,” said Dave Conant.
The fields are so laden with silt that they don’t even want to put their equipment through, he said.
“The beauty of Vermont has taken a hit,” said Conant.
Vermont is the largest dairy-producing state in New England and has a strong local food movement.
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U.S. Sen. Peter Welch, a Democrat, urged Mazza, his daughter and other farmers to document the losses so he and the rest of the congressional delegation can plead for funds when a disaster relief bill reaches the Senate floor, he said.
Republican Gov. Phil Scott has asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture for federal disaster status, making farms eligible for financial assistance, including low-interest emergency loans.
After seeing what Mazza and his family went through, the governor said he also recognizes the devastation and frustration.
“You still have berries on the truss and you still have apples on the trees, but they can’t be used,” Scott said. “This is going to be a long, sustained effort for them and for many parts of the state with different experiences.”
Scott said he’s confident the state will get more federal aid, but doesn’t think it will be enough.
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“We’re going to have to dig deep. We’re going to have to be creative and reach into every pot to get through this,” he said.
