Vermont Working Landscape Partnership

05/06/2025

Congratulations to the eighteen Vermont businesses that have been awarded a total of $679,095 through the 2025 Vermont Working Lands Enterprise Initiative Business Enhancement Grant! Learn more here: https://vermontbiz.com/news/2025/may/05/679k-awarded-vermont-farm-and-forestry-businesses

04/24/2025

The Vermont Working Lands Enterprise Initiative is announcing another round of grantees! Learn more about these wonderful local businesses that are the heart of Vermont's economy at https://workinglands.vermont.gov/node/631

💐 💐 Announcing over $679K Awarded to Vermont farms and forestry businesses! 18 businesses have been awarded a total of $679,095 in the FY 2025 Business Enhancement Grant.

“These investments support the people and businesses behind the local food and wood products we use every day,” said Danielle Fitzko, Commissioner, . “From farms to forests, this work reflects the heart of Vermont’s identity and adds to the strength and resilience of our working landscape.”

“The State of Vermont is proud to have a program like the Working Lands Enterprise Initiative that makes annual investments resulting in positive impacts for those making their living off the land,” said Agency of Agriculture Food and Markets Secretary Anson Tebbetts. “Investing in our farm and forest businesses helps our rural communities and economies thrive.”

The following Business Enhancement Grants were made in FY25:
🐖 Agricola Farm LLC - Panton, $43,472
🦋 Butterfly Bakery of Vermont - Montpelier, $45,000
🍁 Carman Brook Farm LLC - Swanton, $50,000
🥕 Conscious Homestead, L3C - Winooski, $15,429
🌳 Crossroad Maple - Bakersfield, $49,831
📦 Eastview Enterprises Inc. dba Sylvacurl - East Hardwick, $22,500
🍇 Ellison Estate Vineyard LLC - Stowe, $47,195
🌿 Free Verse Farm LLC - Chelsea, $13,909
🪵 J K Adams Co INC - Dorset, $42,366
🍷 Keck Wine Enterprises LLC - Jeffersonville, $50,000
🫐 Lower Notch Farm - Bristol, $31,763
🥞 Mayo’s Maple Farm - Richford, $35,000
🐄 Rowley Brothers Dairy LLC - Milton, $50,000
🪑 Sawyer Made - East Calais, $50,000
🐔 Sunrise Organic Farm LLC - White River Junction, $13,158
🍝 Trenchers Farmhouse LLC - Lyndonville, $39,437
🏗️ Vermont Heavy Timber LLC - Huntington, $50,000
🫛 Witt Acres Farm - Fairfax, $30,035

Read more about each grantee's project at: https://workinglands.vermont.gov/node/631

Pictures, counter clockwise from top left:
Sawyer Made, Keck Wine Enterprises, Rowley Brothers Dairy, Lower Notch Farm, Agricola Farm, Consicous Homestead

02/26/2025

Friends of Vermont's working lands: call your legislators TODAY to let them know you want them to support the Working Lands Coalition's request that the legislature appropriate $3 million for the Working Lands Enterprise Initiative (WLEI). To understand how that funding impacts our state, take a look through the 2024 WLEI Impact Report. The fact that stood out to us is that these grants help farmers and foresters access twice as much funding from other sources.

The Governor's proposed budget suggested funding of $1M; our legislators can increase the total funding to $3M in order to match the funds that the program had last year. In FY24 the Fund had $3M and distributed that funding in grants that supported farmers and foresters in developing their business, improving their products, and gaining new skills. Those 2024 grants helped working lands access an additional $6.3M in matching funds... What an impactful program! There is clear need for the program, too: there were over $16M in grant application requests in 2024 alone.

02/19/2025

Does this resonate with you? "The willingness to work the landscape is there. The determination of the folks working daily in our agricultural and forestry ... are keeping tradition and legacy alive..."

Working Lands Coalition Members are advocating to the VT Legislature for another $3 million in funds in next year's budget. Help us build momentum by telling your legislators in the State House why you're part of the VT Working Landscape Partnership!

As Vermonters, we take great pride in our working landscape. Even when we are frustrated with the world at hand, all we have to do is glance around to our

12/12/2023

Pre-applications are now open for two grants:
🎇 Supply Chain Impact Grant
🎇 ARPA Primary Producer Impact Grant

Both grants can cover amounts from $50,000-$250,000 for these types of work:
🔨 Infrastructure development
📈 Marketing and branding/market development
👩‍🍳 Workforce development
🔍 Research and development

The ARPA Primary Producer Impact Grant is only for farmers, loggers, and sugarmakers that have been in business since before January 2020.

The Supply Chain Impact Grant is open to any farm, forest, or local food business that sources most of its ingredients from Vermont products. Projects must have a supply chain and/or market level impact on its sector. This could be:
➕ Project makes significant process and/or infrastructure improvements for medium to large scale production, producer-processing initiatives, or distribution of primary products in the forestry and/or agriculture sectors.
➕ Scale of the primary product being brought into supply chain has ability to strengthen the industry, address the sector on a market-wide scale, and/or address a market downturn.
➕ Project's technology or approach is innovative and will lead to new opportunities for multiple businesses and/or will increase the scale of the enterprise in a way that enables it to meet a growing market demand.

More info: https://buff.ly/3uT2MiP

10/11/2023

Business Enhancement Grant applications are now open through November 20th! Farm, forest, and local food businesses can apply for grants ranging from $15,000 to $50,000.

Applicant webinar happening Wednesday, October 11 at 12pm!

Grants can cover marketing, equipment, infrastructure, research and development, workforce development, and more. Check out https://workinglands.vermont.gov/businessgrants for more details.

09/11/2023

Vermont Working Lands Enterprise Initiative Service Provider Grants and Producer Association Development Grants are OPEN until October 16th. Apply now for grants between $10,000-25,000!

Service Provider Grant projects will include the provision of direct and indirect services to support the development of Vermont-based working lands businesses through technical assistance and other forms of support. These services can be about market development, business and financial planning, workforce development, access to capital, and more!

Producer Association Development Grants are for Vermont-based nonprofit producer association groups that represent and promote Vermont agriculture, food, beverage, forest, or fiber products. These grants can support member market development and sales, association leadership and organizational development, association governance work, and more!

For more information and to apply --> https://workinglands.vermont.gov/news/fy24-serviceprovider-producerassociation

Remember to follow Vermont Working Lands Enterprise Initiative for more updates and grant announcements!

01/25/2023

Last night's 10-Year Working Lands Celebration!

Many thanks to all who have supported the last 10 years of

Don't forget to tag yourself (or a friend!) to help continue sharing all that is happening with Vermont Working Landscape Partnership!

01/23/2023

Join us TOMORROW to celebrate Vermont's Working Lands!

See what our friends at Vermont Woodworking School have to say about Working Lands ⬇️

Register:
https://www.vtrural.org/programs/working-lands/10year

01/09/2023

Join us for the 10-Year Working Lands Celebration on January 24 at the Vermont State House!

11/01/2022

ARPA-Funded grant opportunity for producers of farm and forest products! Deadline to apply is December 16, 2022. Find out more about all Working Lands funding opportunities here: https://workinglands.vermont.gov/grant-contract-opportunities/overview.

Are you a primary producer of farm or forest products looking for funds to support 📈 market development, 🔬 research and design,🏗️ infrastructure improvements, 💡 energy projects, or workforce training and development?

Applications for the Working Lands Enterprise Initiative ARPA-Funded Primary Producer Impact Grant will be available soon! The request for applications (RFA, available at https://workinglands.vermont.gov/document/FY23-ARPA-RFA) was released on October 28, and the application portal will be open from November 9 - December 16. The application is a two-stage process, and applicants who advance to the second round will be notified in early February 2023. Estimated project start date is early summer 2023. ☀️

Applicants can apply for funds anywhere between $50,000-$250,000 and must provide a 100% match. Only primary producers of farm and forest products are eligible to apply for the ARPA-Funded Primary Producer Impact Grant. Examples of eligible primary production activities are 🍐 crop production, 🐐 livestock rearing, 🍁 maple sugaring, 🐄 dairy, and 🌳 logging. Applicants will need to provide a narrative description of their primary production activities and submit documents to confirm their status as a primary producer.

For more information: visit https://workinglands.vermont.gov/grant-contract-opportunities/arpa-primary-producer-impact-grant

Image: Fall maple trees in background, circle in foreground that reads:
$1 million available to farm, food, and forest businesses in Vermont
ARPA-Funded Primary Producer Grant
Application open Nov. 9 - Dec. 16
[Link]

09/28/2022

Do you have a food or forest related business in Vermont? Working Lands business grant applications are being accepted through the end of October

Sat, 09/10/2022 - 1:03pm -- tim $450,000 Eligible to Invest in Business Enhancement Initiatives Vermont Business Magazine Farm, food, and forest businesses can apply now for Working Lands Enterprise Initiative Business Enhancement Grants. The Working Lands Enterprise Board (WLEB) is releasing a requ...