The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (VAAFM) has announced the launch of the 2025 Agriculture Drought Impact Survey to assess the effects of ongoing drought conditions on farms across the state. The survey aims to collect data on the scale and location of drought-related impacts experienced by Vermont’s agricultural producers during 2025.
This marks the third consecutive year that Vermont farmers have faced severe weather challenges, including frost, floods, and now drought. Many businesses are still recovering from the effects of the 2023 and 2024 frosts and flooding.
VAAFM is encouraging agricultural producers to participate in the survey, which will remain open until December 15, 2025. The agency requests that participants submit only new impacts if they incur additional losses and notes that more than one report may be submitted if necessary.
The survey is intended for agricultural businesses, organizations, or individuals who raise animals, meat, or poultry and/or grow feed or other crops such as produce, maple, Christmas trees, or horticultural plants for people beyond their immediate family. Forestry and cannabis producers, as well as food industry businesses not involved in production activities, are directed to submit their observations through the Condition Monitoring Observer Reporting tool (CMOR) at https://droughtimpacts.unl.edu/tools/conditionmonitoringobservations.aspx.
VAAFM states: “We thank those who have previously reported their 2025 drought impacts to the US Drought Monitor, FSA, or VAAFM this summer, but we strongly encourage them to also fill out this survey so their data can be compiled alongside all other newly collected data and drought impacts in Vermont. This Agriculture Drought Impact Survey should take between 10 and 15 minutes to complete.”
According to the agency, data collected from similar surveys following the severe weather events in 2023 and 2024 played a key role in making additional recovery resources available to Vermont farms. The 2025 survey is expected to serve a similar function.
Producers seeking more information on drought support resources can visit https://agriculture.vermont.gov/drought or contact the agency by email at AGR.Drought@vermont.gov or by phone at 802-828-2430.
