ST. JOHNSBURY, Vt. (WCAX) – Farmers across Vermont who were hit hard by recent flooding are being asked to fill out a survey documenting their losses.
It has been another tough summer for farmers across the region, including Joe’s Brook Farm in St. Johnsbury which lost upward of 95% of its crops due to flooding.
“Most of our sales are direct to consumer,” said Eric Skovsted of Joe’s Brook Farm.
In a typical year, the farm stand at Joe’s Brook Farm would be packed with freshly picked vegetables this time of summer. But after the brook and nearby Passumpsic River spilled its banks during recent flooding, this is just about all they have to offer.
“We’ve had numerous floods, probably five or six since we have been farming here. But never one that high,” Skovsted said.
Tomatoes above the flood line are still ripening on the plants. But the stalks below show the damage left behind from the high water.
A decimated field down the road almost looks like a wasteland.
The flood came right before harvest.
“All of our sweet peppers, hot peppers, potatoes, green beans, cauliflower, cabbages,” Skovsted listed.
“The economic injury they experience, the loss of infrastructure, the impact on acreage and the real sense of scale and location across the state,” said Abbey Willard of the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets.
The agency will use the data, along with what they collected after the 2023 floods, as it looks to the future.
“We may need to collectively as an industry make some changes around where and how farming occurs in Vermont as a result of our weather shifts,” Willard said.
“Yeah, it’s tough,” Skovsted said. “We are trying to figure out ways to hedge the risk, become more resilient.”
But the immediate concern at this farm is what to do with the certified organic strawberry field. Unless it’s completely replanted soon at a steep price tag, the fruit will not be available for pick-your-own next year.
“It will leave a big hole. The strawberries are a real highlight for everyone locally,” Skovsted said.
While everyone should report their damage to 211, farmers across the state have until the end of August to complete the survey.