Provides loans that range from $5,000 to $20,000 at 3% amortized interest, and are available to businesses with less than 2 years of operating history. The loan term ranges between 24-60 months, with the option to defer payments for up to a year.

Offers business advising to eligible farmers, agriculturally-related businesses (including food businesses), forest products enterprises, and forest landowners. A network of advisers provides business planning and technical assistance. The Viability Program also makes grants available on a competitive basis when funding allows.

Administers programs that work with farmers and others in the food system to engage in and share research, information, technical assistance, and educational opportunities. The Pasture Program offers technical and outreach assistance to help livestock farms reduce purchased feed and labor costs to maximize local farmland and assets. The Land Access Program helps new and existing farmers find the land they need to grow crops, raise livestock, and care for the natural environment while building financial viability. The Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs)/ Farm Produce Safety program helps farmers learn the best ways to ensure the safety of their produce, an increasingly common requirement among retail and institutional buyers. Our Local Food program fosters relationships between farms and food-insecure people, gives farmers resources to help them work effectively with food access organizations, and helps identify policy actions to support getting Vermont-produced food to under-served Vermonters.

Aids Vermont greenhouses, farms, and orchards by assisting in the identification and control of plant pests and diseases. Callers will be instructed on how to collect, prepare, and mail a specimen of the plant or pest.

Provides information, technical assistance and support for community members who are starting or running farms or food businesses, in order to help meet the basic needs of the region's population for food and sustain the economic viability of farming operations while preserving nonrenewable resources and the fertility of farmlands.

Provides resource coordination, an online resource directory, free short-term counseling for farmers and farm families, a peer farmer program, post-disaster planning assistance, and an after hours hotline staffed by trained mental health practitioners.

Provides an emergency loan program for people whose farms or food production businesses have suffered a devastating loss due to natural disaster.

Provides information, education, and technical assistance to new and aspiring farmers with the goal of increasing the number of profitable farms. Offers online and on-the-ground resources to provide individualized assistance.

Provides fully-equipped shared-use commercial kitchens for rent to food entrepreneurs, farmers, community groups, and more. The kitchens are equipped with ovens and stove tops, food processors, steam kettles, fillers, blenders, mixers, peelers and more.

Provides resource coordination, an online resource directory, free short-term counseling for farmers and farm families, a peer farmer program, post-disaster planning assistance, and an after hours hotline staffed by trained mental health practitioners.

Offers a loan program that supports agricultural enterprises that directly support the expansion of the Vermont food system and increase the availability of local foods in Vermont.

Coordinates monetary donation and funding response that supports Vermont farmers recovering from the flooding across the state in 2024.

Provides education and technical assistance geared to the needs of women farmers at all stages of their careers. Through a series of educational, technical assistance, and networking opportunities, works to increase the number of women owning and operating profitable farms and ag-related businesses, as well as their profile in leadership positions throughout the agricultural sectors of business, government, and community.

Offers disaster preparedness information, and emergency assistance and recovery information for farmers in the recovery phase of natural disasters, and farm-related information regarding water contamination and pesticide exposure. Hotlines may be set up during specific disaster situations and links would be posted in this program. Also provides business disaster loan information for farmers and other agricultural business operators.

Connects farmers with newly acquired disabilities with others who have successfully accommodated their disability, conducts on site home and work site assessments, and recommends way to safely continue farming. Also provides training and education about farming with a disability.

Provides resource coordination, an online resource directory, free short-term counseling for farmers and farm families, a peer farmer program, post-disaster planning assistance, and an after hours hotline staffed by trained mental health practitioners.

Offers disaster preparedness information, and emergency assistance and recovery information for farmers in the recovery phase of natural disasters, and farm-related information regarding water contamination and pesticide exposure. Hotlines may be set up during specific disaster situations and links would be posted in this program. Also provides business disaster loan information for farmers and other agricultural business operators.

Inspects and licenses pet sellers, livestock dealers, transporters, and packers. Registers animal shelters, rescue organizations, certified euthanasia technicians, and their facilities. Provides a way to file a report about poultry and other domestic birds that died from a disease. Also publishes information about various diseases that affect livestock and poultry.

Provides organic farmers with cash flow needed in times of an emergency. Farmers may request up to $5,000 in grants that do not need to be repaid. (This grant maximum is a temporary increase due to the flooding disaster.) Support with grant application available.

Coordinates monetary donation and funding response that supports Vermont farmers recovering from the flooding across the state in 2024.

Provides placement in barns of cats who are not able to live as house pets. All cats are spayed or neutered, dewormed, vaccinated, on a flea/tick preventive, and ear-tipped/microchipped prior to adoption. Also provides Trap-Neuter-Return program with spay/neuter and vaccination services by donation for community cats being cared for by volunteer caretakers.

Provides resource coordination, an online resource directory, free short-term counseling for farmers and farm families, a peer farmer program, post-disaster planning assistance, and an after hours hotline staffed by trained mental health practitioners.

Provides information, technical assistance, and support regarding the business side of managing a farm. Topics include farm business plan development, how to increase business management skills to operate farms more profitably, how to determine cost of production and debt capacity, and farm business transfers.