MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — A new program for Vermont farmers will provide nearly $5 million to farms that successfully manage phosphorus.
The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets said Saturday it has opened applications for the Vermont Pay for Phosphorus program. The agency described the program as one of the first of its kind in the country.
The agriculture agency said it received a $7 million federal grant to launch the program. It said the program is designed to boost the agriculture industry’s role as a steward of clean water in the state.
The state is taking applications to the program until Jan. 31. Vermont Gov. Phil Scott said the program gives farmers “another tool to improve water quality, while rewarding them financially for the management of their land.”
