IRASBURG, Vt. (WCAX) – The largest contributor to Vermont’s water pollution are farms with animals, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. They say the state is failing to control phosphorus runoff from some farms and that farmers must change their operations.

Managing livestock means lots of manure and a constant fear of runoff, and Irasburg farmer Richard Nelson has seen that fear come to life.

“We have already received a fine. It’s hard to find a large farm in the state of Vermont that hasn’t already been fined,” Nelson said.

But it’s not for lack of trying. Nelson says he has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to prevent runoff, but it’s difficult to track the cost of climate change.

He’s not the only farmer feeling the pressure. A 2022 UVM study shows that almost all Vermont farmers think they know how to improve the health of their soils, but just over half have the money to do so.

Sarah Damsell, manager of the Orleans County Conservation District, helps farmers qualify for state and federal grants to do their work. She says there is a lot of money available, sometimes more than farmers realize. “It’s a lack of coordination, and it’s a problem at the local level, getting what the farm needs,” she said.

But even with subsidies, Damsell says repeated flooding means more farmers need more solutions and even more money to finance them. “With increased precipitation, these manure pits need to be looked at differently, and we’re going to need more money on the table for that,” Damsell said.

On the state side, Nina Gage, deputy water quality director for the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, says there are many resources for farmers in need, but there are has limits. “We do what we can to provide support where it is requested and needed, but ultimately we have competitive programs due to budget limitations,” she said.

Back in Irasburg, Nelson raised $1 million to build his manure pits. He is motivated by his regulatory duty and his personal commitment to a clean environment. “It’s not cheap to deliver a safe, clean food product to the United States, but it’s the right thing to do,” he said.

At the federal level, farmers are currently limited to $450,000 in funds under the Farm Bill. Nelson and others in the agriculture community plan to push for more funding in the new farm bill expected in 2025.

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