Agricultural Emergency
Declared in Vermont

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has declared an agricultural emergency in each of Vermont’s 14 counties, Governor Jim Douglas announced earlier this week. 

Here in the White River Valley, farmers expressed varying levels of frustration this week with weather conditions that have kept their machinery off their fields, leached fertilizers from the fields, made it difficult to harvest hay, and set back some of the other crops.

The "agricultural emergency" had been requested by Gov. Douglas, who pointed out the "perfect storm" of problems for Vermont dairy farms—plunging milk prices, high fuel prices, and terrible weather for crops.

In response, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns said weather conditions including heavy rains and flooding, information obtained from Damage Assessment Reports and requests submitted by the State Executive Director, Farm Service Agency (FSA) justify the declaration. 

The designation makes farmers in Vermont eligible for low-interest emergency loans, provided eligibility requirements are met, the letter said.

In addition to asking for the federal designation, the governor has called for a high-level meeting to discuss what the state can do to help farmers weather the storm.

That meeting is scheduled for today at 10:00 a.m. at the State House in Montpelier. It will include farmers, cooperatives, haulers, processors, retailers, and state and federal officials. 

One area farmer who agrees that the situation is a real emergency is Elwin Preston, who farms alongside one son on the Randolph Center Ridge Road.

"I wish I wasn't even a farmer," he blurted out yesterday when asked about his situation. "It's awful.

"The income's not sufficient to cover prices, I can't put tractors on the field. I've cut a little sileage, maybe a little hay, but not much. I couldn't plant some of my corn at all."

Not So Gloomy

David Ainsworth, who farms along Route 14 in South Royalton, was not quite so gloomy, but he was amazed at how much "wetness" there is in the fields.

"There's water bubbling up like a spring where I've never seen it before," he noted.

Ainsworth grows hay on hillside fields and corn next to the White River. Oddly, it's the hillside where the biggest water problems have been found—because the clay soils don't drain. His cornfield by the river is "looking pretty good," though there are some spots he couldn't plant because of the rain, he said.

You would think that last weekend's two sunny days would have been an opportunity to put up sun-dried hay. However, because the forecasts continued in predicting rain, most farmers apparently didn't cut hay because they expected it to get wet any minute.

Ainsworth, for instance, took one look at the forecast and spent his weekend at the History Expo in Tunbridge.

Nevertheless, he's not too worried about his crops.

"Let's say if it gets done with the rain this week and gets sunny, I can get caught up pretty fast," he said.

The wet conditions mean the second cutting of hay should be good, he said, "if we can get the first cutting off."

At the White River under Exit 3 bridge, Dennis Bigelow said he has begun filling his five huge silos but says he's "way behind" on haying. That, said he and other farmers, means that even when the hay is cut it will be "over ripe" and won't have as much nutrient value as June hay.

"I should have the first cutting all done by now," Bigelow said.

His corn went in almost a month late, he said, and one field was never planted at all when "a mud hole appeared out of nowhere."

The good news, he said, is that he planted a new field of alfalfa this year, and it has responded well to the wet weather.

Overall, he said, conditions mean that the feed value of his hay will be low and he'll probably have to buy more grain for protein.

Organic Proves Helpful

Less affected has been Brent and Regina Beidler's farm in Randolph Center—because the farm relies more on grazing and it sells organic milk, whose prices have been guaranteed.

Noting the "lush grass" in his pastures, Brent observed that his cattle are "less at risk than corn-fed cows."

"We feel like grazing is the key in managing the risk at a time like this," he said.

"We're continuing on, doing quite well this summer," he concluded, while expressing sympathy for the majority of dairy farmers who are being affected.

Also less affected is Sam Lincoln of Randolph, who grows a variety of crops in several locations around town.

It's "awful wet, but it's not terrible," was his assessmet. Of the 112 acres of corn he has planted, he had to replant 18 of it because of water damage, and he started late because of not being able to get on the fields.

He also harvests hay on four farms in addition to his own and has them all done but one, he said. He figured the harvest was three weeks behind.

His three acres planted to sweet corn, pumpkins and winter squash are growing well, though he's keeping a "close eye" for fungus and mildew.

Both Bigelow and Preston noted that the fields are approaching an important milestone date.

"I heard next week is the Fourth of July," Bigelow quipped. "It (the corn) is supposed to be knee-high, not three inches," agreed Preston.

Still, he turned philosophical.
"We've got a good crop of hay out there, if we could only go out and get it," he ovserved. "We've just got to live with it and hope for the best."

In describing today's "agricultural summit," Gov. Douglas noted that "Everyone is being asked to help, because it’s going to take some good old-fashioned Vermont teamwork to pull together a plan that provides relief to farmers and helps them get this season back on track."