Farm Agronomic Practice Grants Grants to implement soil-based agronomic practices that improve soil and water quality and to support educational activities to improve soil health and water quality

Farm Agronomic Practice Grants Grants to implement soil-based agronomic practices that improve soil and water quality and to support educational activities to improve soil health and water quality is sponsored by Vermont Agency of Education. This opportunity supports mission-aligned projects and measurable outcomes.

The Farm Agronomic Practices (FAP) Program provides Vermont farms with grants to install soil conservation practices. Grants are limited to **$10,000 per farm operation per calendar year** [January 1- December 31]. There is no competitive review process: funding is awarded in the order that applications are received.

Applying does not guarantee that you will receive funding. The FAP program also provides farms and service providers with Agronomic Training grants to attend trainings on agricultural water quality regulations and/or the impacts of agricultural practices on water quality.

Vermont farms required to comply with the Required Agricultural Practices and in Good Standing with the State of Vermont are eligible for practice payments for any of following practices: * No Till Pasture and Hayland Renovation See Practice Requirements and Payment Ratessection below for additional information on each of these eligible practices. Practices that are installed before applying to FAP cannot be reimbursed.

**All applications due at least one month (30 days) prior to practice implementation**. All applications to FAP will be reviewed in the order they are received. Submitting an application does not guarantee that you will receive a grant agreement.

Depending on when you are planning to install conservation practices, you must apply either by April 1 (most practices) or by August 1 (fall cover crop and manure injection only). **Conservation Practice****Deadline to Apply** SPRING + YEARLONG Practices**April 1** FALL Practices ONLY (e.g. only cover crop and/or fall injection )**August 1** 1. Develop a **Grazing Plan and Grazing Map/s** if applying for rotational grazing.

​​​​​​ 1. The Grazing Plan must be developed in t he NRCS/VAAFMGrazing Plan Template(blue tabs are required, yellow tabs are optional) 2. Maps must clearly indicate the field boundaries of the acreage/pastures described in the Grazing Plan 3.

If you would like someone to fill out the template on your behalf or assist you in the development of grazing maps, please contact the UVM Grazing team athttps://www. uvm. edu/extension/grazing-contact-usor Connor Steckel atConnor.

Steckel@vermont. govor 802-522-0065 to be connected to a grazing specialist. 2.

Apply! Please submit one application for all practices planned from January 1 to December 31. To request a PDF or mailed copy of the FAP application, emailAGR.

WaterQuality@Vermont. gov at least 2 weeks prior to the application deadline. You can then email a scan or photo of your completed application to AGR.

WaterQuality@Vermont. gov or mail it to FAP Program, 116 State Street, Montpelier, VT 05620. ## [](https://agriculture.

vermont. gov/fap)Practice Requirements and Payment Rates: _Last updated for Calendar Year 2026_ NOTE: Funding rates may change every year due to program demand and funding availability. Recommendations for Successful Installation of Conservation Practices **Payment Rate:**$55 per acre if planted before Oct 1, or $40 per acre if planted before Oct 10.

**Practice Requirements:** Cover Crop payment supports annual cropland to be planted to cover crops for erosion protection during the non-growing season. All cover crops must be seeded at highest recommended rate to provide effective soil coverage and minimize nutrient runoff during the non-growing season. “Early” cover crops must be planted prior to October 1 and may be planted using any method.

Regular season cover crops must be planted prior to October 10 and must be drilled or incorporated. Cover crops planted after October 10 will not be reimbursed. ### **Crop to Hay Rotation** **Payment Rate:**$60 per acre.

**Practice Requirements:**Crop to Hay payment supports annual crop land to be seeded down into perennial forages for pasture or hay production as part of a crop rotation. This practice does not apply to the establishment of annually planted and harvested food, fiber, or oilseed crops. Fields are only eligible for payment in the year they are seeded down.

Nurse crops such as oats, barley, or peas are recommended to quickly establish soil cover and protect the crop during the early stages of establishment. Planting method and seeding rate must be appropriate for the seed type and provide full soil coverage. **Payment Rate:**$30 per acre.

**Practice Requirements:**Rotational grazing payment supports well managed rotational grazing of perennial pastures with ruminant livestock. Livestock must be rotated at least twice per week and excluded from surface water, and at least three inches residual vegetation must be maintained after grazing.

Livestock access to surface water at well-managed discrete watering areas and livestock crossings are allowable only when no other available options exist. Grazing plans, grazing maps, and records that indicate livestock are rotated at least twice per week to adequately rested pastures are required. Land planted to annual crops within the past year or land cleared of forest within the last five years are not eligible.

**Download Grazing Plan Template** **Link to Watch March 2026 Webinar on Grazing Planning** ### No Till Crop Planting **Payment Rate:**$15 per acre. **Practice Requirements:**No Till payment supports the planting of annual crops without the use of tillage. A minimum of 30 percent of the soil surface must be covered by uniformly distributed plant residue after planting.

There must not be any full-width soil disturbance performed from the time immediately following harvest or termination of one cash crop through harvest or termination of the next cash crop in the rotation, regardless of the depth of the tillage operation. Full-width harrowing, chisel plowing, field cultivating, tandem disking, or vertical tillage is not allowable under this practice.

Cover crop planting must be drilled or broadcast, not otherwise incorporated. Manure injection with soil surface closure at time of injection is allowable under this practice. ### No-Till Pasture and Hayland Renovation **Payment Rate:**$30 per acre.

**Practice Requirements:**No-Till Pasture and Hayland Renovation payment supports the use of no-till drill equipment and/or frost seeding to improve pastures and/or hayland without the use of tillage. Planting method should provide reasonable expectation of seed to soil contact. Seeding rates must provide full soil coverage and be adequate to accomplish improvement of forage/stands in pasture and hayland.

Frost seeding must occur on non-snow-covered ground in March or April and include legumes in seed mix. **Payment Rate:**$30 per acre. **Practice Requirements:**Manure Injection payment supports subsurface injection including disk, shank, and grassland manure injection, injected below soil surface with a single implement.

Chisel plowing or disk harrowing fields within two weeks of practice installation is not allowable. All injection must follow manure application standards of the Vermont Required Agricultural Practices rule including application of nutrients within agronomic recommendations.

## Submitting Claims for Reimbursement: Once you have an FAP grant agreement and have finished installing conservation practices for the season, you must submit a Claim Form to request payment. If a Claim Form is not received in a timely manner, the State may cancel your grant agreement. You may submit for payment up to twice per year - Spring and Summer/Fall.

**Standard FAP Claim Form:** Annual Acreage Report (Printable) Annual Acreage Report (Excel) **Grazing FAP Claim Form:** Grazing Claim Form (Printable) Grazing Claim Form (Excel) Claim Forms, including maps of the location of implemented practices, must be submitted **no later than December 15**. Sooner is better, and will result in more timely payment.

## Agronomic Training Activities: * FAP Agronomic Training Grant applications must be submitted at least **45 days** before the training and will be processed on a first-come-first served basis. FAP Agronomic Training Grant Information & Application