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Toll from the great flood

The 2023 flood in Vermont caused more than $16 million in damage and affected more than 27,000 acres.

Chris Torres, Editor, American Agriculturist

April 29, 2024

1 Min Read
The Winooski River flooding over Conant’s Riverside Dairy farm in Richmond, Vermont
FLOODED FARM: Heavy rains in July 2023 caused the Winooski River to rise over its banks and flood Conant’s Riverside Dairy in Richmond, Vt. The flooding caused more than $16 million in damage on farms. Conant’s Riverside Dairy

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets led an effort to survey hundreds of farmers about the scale of damage from last year’s flooding.

The survey collected 267 responses that showed more than $16 million in damage and 27,350 affected acres.

A screenshot of severe weather and flooding loss, damage survey results

Here are some other results from the survey, which can be found on the state’s Loss and Damage Survey Dashboard:

  • The average farm size and cost in damage was 103 acres and $61,000.

  • 60.78% of respondents anticipated a feed shortage for their animals.

  • 70.3% stated they did not have crop or livestock insurance.

  • 73.4% of respondents classified themselves as small farms, or certified small-farming operations.

Read more about:

DisasterFlooding

About the Author(s)

Chris Torres

Editor, American Agriculturist

Chris Torres, editor of American Agriculturist, previously worked at Lancaster Farming, where he started in 2006 as a staff writer and later became regional editor. Torres is a seven-time winner of the Keystone Press Awards, handed out by the Pennsylvania Press Association, and he is a Pennsylvania State University graduate.

Torres says he wants American Agriculturist to be farmers' "go-to product, continuing the legacy and high standard (former American Agriculturist editor) John Vogel has set." Torres succeeds Vogel, who retired after 47 years with Farm Progress and its related publications.

"The news business is a challenging job," Torres says. "It makes you think outside your small box, and you have to formulate what the reader wants to see from the overall product. It's rewarding to see a nice product in the end."

Torres' family is based in Lebanon County, Pa. His wife grew up on a small farm in Berks County, Pa., where they raised corn, soybeans, feeder cattle and more. Torres and his wife are parents to three young boys.

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