Vermont Farms Still Operating After Irene Challenges

A year after Tropical Storm Irene inundated Vermont, all the 476 farms that reported damage from the storm are still operating.

But Governor Peter Shumlin and agriculture officials said Wednesday farmers are still struggling with the losses caused by the flooding.

Shumlin and the others held a news conference Wednesday at the 1782 Settlement Farm in Middlesex, a vegetable farm that lost crops during the flooding that began Aug. 28.

Officials estimate that 26,000 acres of farmland was damaged, accounting for $20 million in losses.

The Vermont Farm Disaster Relief Fund raised nearly $2.5 million to help farmers after Irene. So far, almost $2 million has been distributed to nearly 200 farmers.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has paid $7.4 million to Vermont farmers in disaster assistance and crop insurance.

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