Vermont Housing Conservation Board 2005 - Vermont Housing and ...

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26 Vermont's Farm Viability Program provides grants to farmers to assist with business planning and technical assistance. Implementation grants help farmers realize their business planning goals. For more information or to apply to the program, call 828-0795 or visit "Farm Viability Program" on the website: www.vhcb.org VERMONT FARM VIABILITY PROGRAM Program Assists Fifty Farms in Third Year of Operation The Vermont Farm Viability Enhancement Program assisted more than 50 farmers in 2005. Over half the participants were dairy farms, ranging from large farm operations to very small dairies with on-farm cheese processing. Other enrollees included vegetable growers, beef and sheep farms, a large maple producer, a poultry farm, a vineyard, and an alpaca farm. The Viability Program provides each enrollee with a business planner whose job is to analyze the farm’s current financial status and to help make projections for the future. The Program also brings in specialists who zero in on specific strategies or management changes. The final product is a business plan that can be used as a road map to farm profits or as an accompaniment to a loan application. The fundamental premise of the Program is that sound financial analysis, critical thinking, and business-oriented decision-making can make a difference for farmers. The Viability approach is to listen, to let the farmers articulate their goals as well as problems, and then to bring in assistance that is tailored to particular needs. The farmer must commit time to the process and must be willing to share financial records. Grantees providing business planning and technical assistance services under the Program have included NOFA-Vermont, the Intervale Foundation, the Vermont Small Business Development Center, the University of Vermont Extension Service, and Working Landscapes, Inc. The Program has also contracted with individual consultants. It is expected that an additional 50 farms will receive Viability assistance in 2006. At the same time, the Program will send advisers back to 2005 participants to gauge the farmers’ financial success since participating in the Program, and to offer technical assistance as farmers work to implement their business planning goals. In 2005 the Viability Program was primarily funded by VHCB and by a grant secured by Senator Leahy and awarded by NRCS. VHCB was grateful this past year also to receive a grant for the Viability Program from a private foundation. These grant funds were used for specific projects: to help seven farmers implement changes documented in their business plans; to conduct two studies on the marketing of innovative farm products; and to assist Shelburne Farms and other nonprofits with the ongoing Farm-to-School Program, under which local growers supply locally-grown, nutritious, and affordable foods to public school lunch programs. Bob Eddy Bill Suhr, Champlain Orchards
Bob Eddy “Farming is such a labor-intensive operation that there’s not always time to explore the skills you need to make improvements. “The thing I like about the Viability Program is that it’s one-on-one. You can formulate a plan that’s custom-tailored, so I think the money is more efficient in helping, and the longterm effect is better. — Christine Brown BROWN FARM, RANDOLPH CENTER 27 Viability Program Helps Farmers Develop & Implement Ideas Christine and Tony Brown knew they wanted to improve and add value to their small, high-quality farm in Randolph Center. They just weren’t sure how, as Christine puts it, “to get from point A to point B.” The expertise they needed came through the Intervale Foundation, partnering with NOFA-VT, with funding from the Farm Viability Program. Referred by a neighboring farmer, the Intervale contacted the Browns two years ago, and they began working together. With about 40 Jerseys and just 26 acres (they rent an additional 110 acres nearby), the Browns were in the midst of transitioning to (cont. on page 29)
Page 1 and 2: 2005 Annual Report to the General A
Page 3 and 4: james h. douglas governor State of
Page 5 and 6: statutory mandates that require per
Page 7 and 8: in the marketplace, and for homes b
Page 9 and 10: documents. But an applicant’s ent
Page 11 and 12: the 1906-vintage edifice stands out
Page 13 and 14: Bob Eddy photos Laurie Webster, who
Page 15 and 16: “These are people who are very en
Page 17 and 18: HABITAT FOR HUMANITY Hard-Earned Ho
Page 19 and 20: “Owning a home isn’t just luck.
Page 21 and 22: portation,” said Brenda Torpy, di
Page 23 and 24: So Jon and Lise Yandow, whose seven
Page 25 and 26: Addison Vermont Land Trust photos a
Page 27: “Watching the O’Connell family
Page 31 and 32: This joins a mix of new and retrofi
Page 33 and 34: CROSS VERMONT TRAIL A Trail to Conn
Page 35 and 36: Liz Thompson/The Nature Conservancy
Page 37 and 38: HISTORIC PRESERVATION A New Role fo
Page 39 and 40: Bob Eddy photos England what became
Page 41 and 42: VERMONT COMMUNITY STEWARDSHIP PROGR
Page 43 and 44: VERMONT LEAD-BASED PAINT HAZARD RED
Page 45 and 46: Housing Awards July 2004 -June 2005
Page 47 and 48: Housing Awards July -December 2005
Page 49 and 50: Conservation Awards July 2004 -June
Page 51 and 52: Conservation Awards July 2004 -June
Page 53 and 54: Conservation Awards July -December
Page 55 and 56: Partners in Project Development Jan
Page 61 and 62: Revenues $22,486,033 Interest Incom
Page 63 and 64: PROJECT AWARDS BY COUNTY 1987-2005

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