More Flood Information

Posted on June 6, 2011 by Women's Agricultural Network

Vermont Emergency Management (VEM) is requesting that farmers of all types report damage to all parts of their property in the following manner so that impact info can be included in justifications for emergency declarations that are sent to the Governor and then to the President:

  • If there is damage to your house(s) or other dwelling report damage by calling 211 and completing a damage assessment report with the operator.  The operator will then forward this information to VEM
  • If there is damage to any other part of your property or business, including but not limited to barns, milking parlors, crops, fields, equipment, etc), this information ideally should be fed through organizations to which they belong, and those organizations should send summary compiled information to the Vermont Agency of Agriculture through the email agr.emergency@state.vt.us. The Vermont Agency of Agriculture will then feed that directly to VEM without going through 211. 211 will not be taking this information. Individual producers could also send information directly to that mailbox, as some have already done, This e-mail box is for data collection only – it is not being monitored or responses being prepared.
  • The Agency of Agriculture is also being asked by VEM to enter all feedback it gets from individual farmers. It is for this reason as well that having summarized reports from organizations rather than individual farmer reports is ideal and highlights the importance of having all information come through this emergency reporting mailbox rather than by word of mouth to Agency employees in a manner that may not be able to be fully captured.  If employees want to take the information themselves, they should then send the summary to the emergency reporting mailbox.
  • Any information reported to the emergency mailbox for this flooding event should ID the subject line as “2011 spring flood event”

If farmers are in need of help or assistance, they should request that first through their town’s first response units (town emergency management director, fire dept, police etc).  If the town is unable to meet their needs, the town official has the option of requesting help from the state/VEM.  If VEM receives a request that falls under the scope of VAAFM portion of the state emergency operations plan, then they will contact us via pager, phone or email and we will be involved from that point forward.

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A note about crop insurance and flood-related losses

Posted on June 2, 2011 by Women's Agricultural Network

If you’ve lost crops or been unable to plant due to this spring’s record rainfall and flooding and you have crop insurance, now’s the time to contact your crop insurance agent, says Pam Smith, crop insurance coordinator for University of Vermont Extension. Producers who participate in USDA-Farm Service Agency (USDA-FSA) programs also should report prevented planting acreage.

Final planting dates for crop insurance purposes in Vermont are:

  • June 10:  silage and grain corn
  • June 10:  soybeans
  • June 10-June 30:  fresh market sweet corn, dates vary by county

“If you suffer crop damage or loss from these or other adverse weather events, contact your crop insurance agent immediately, discuss your situation, and obtain the full details of what you must do to get the full benefits from your crop insurance policy,” Smith says.  The policies require notice of damage to your crop insurance agent within 72 hours of discovery.

Learn more about Flood-related Prevented Plating Insurance Provisions.

 

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WAgN to Attend National Summit to Transform National Food Security and Impact 2012 Farm Bill

Posted on May 17, 2011 by Women's Agricultural Network

WAgN is one of 30 organizations participating in a historic summit aimed at changing the face of leadership in sustainable agriculture. The three-day “Cultivate 2012″ event will engage 30 leading women activists, thinkers, policy-makers and organizers in an effort to discuss national food security issues and provide cohesive strategies for expanding and enhancing the sustainable agriculture movement, healthy food and farming in the US.

“I am excited to represent WAgN at this new national effort to support and strengthen the leadership role of women in transforming our food system, ” says Beth Holtzman, Outreach Coordinator for the WAgN.

Beth will be joining an impressive group of emerging leaders, distinguished authors, USDA members, leaders of national agriculture organizations, policy analysts, organic food farmers and established researchers–all of whom, together in one room, have a historic opportunity to make a huge impact on the current and future national food system.

The event, May 23-25, is sponsored by the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES), Women, Food and Agriculture Network (WFAN), and The White House Project (TWHP),

Women are the critical driving force behind our agricultural industry. They are the core decision-makers in household food consumption and preparation, the fastest-growing demographic to own and operate sustainable farms, and the largest percentage of nonprofit employees supporting the healthy food and farming movement. A growing number of women are embarking on a collaborative dialogue to increase their influence as leaders in the sustainable food and farming movement.

Lisa Kivirist, director of the Rural Women’s Project of the Midwest Organic & Sustainable Education Service and a Wisconsin farmer says, ”The cross-pollination opportunities through networking and the sharing of ideas and resources will boost this movement and the leadership role women can play.”

“Our goal is to bring together the most creative, passionate women working on sustainable ag issues in the country, to craft a strategy for making our voices more widely heard,” says Leigh Adcock, Executive Director of Women Food and Agriculture Network. “We will identify common policy goals that we can communicate at all levels, from the farmers’ market to the halls of Congress.”

With women in the US leading the largest growth sector in US agriculture, as well as leading the explosion of healthy food and farming initiatives at every level, an important goal of the conference is to acknowledge, celebrate, and bring attention to the immense efforts of these women.

“We are bringing together an extremely diverse group of visionary women and we are totally committed to coming out of this historic gathering with actionable items. I believe we will find ways to ratchet up women’s impact on policy and elections in 2012, shine a spotlight on the women who are already leading in this movement, and talk about how we can cultivate leadership in the huge and growing pipeline of young women in this movement,” says Liz Johnson, National Rural Program Director for The White House Project.

Cultivate 2012 is born of the collaborative efforts of The White House Project, the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES), and the Women, Food and Agriculture Network (WFAN), in coordination with The Johnson Foundation.

www.TheWhiteHouseProject.org/PlatetoPolitics

About The White House Project:

The White House Project is a non-profit organization which aims to advance women’s leadership in all communities and sectors—up to the U.S. presidency—by filling the leadership pipeline with a richly diverse, critical mass of women.

About Women’s Food and Agriculture Network:

The Women’s Food and Agriculture Network mission is to link and empower women to build food systems and communities that are healthy, just, sustainable, and that promote environmental integrity.

About Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service:

The Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES) serves farmers striving to produce high-quality, healthful food using organic and sustainable techniques. These farmers produce more than just food; they support thriving ecosystems and vibrant rural communities.

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