OCTOBER 19, 2020, US Virgin Islands – As a result of the economic crisis associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the Virgin Islands Department of Agriculture (VIDA) in conjunction with the Office of Senator Allison DeGazon, has secured $100,000.00 to support local farmers. This economic impact payment is designed to support farmers as they continue to supply our local economy with fresh local produce at locations such as markets, school lunch programs, hospitals, senior citizen facilities, etc.
Interested Farmers will need to submit a “2020 COVID-19 Farmer Stimulus Application” to a cashier inside VIDA offices or via email at: grants@doa.vi.gov by November 25, 2020 at 11:59pm AST.
Late applications or those with missing information will not be considered or accepted. Please be sure to include copies of your 2018/2019 DCLA & VIDA Farm Licenses and Harvest Reports as requested.
How does it work/who qualifies for the farmers stimulus check?
Any farmer who has been licensed with the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs for the last 2 years and whose farms are currently in production will qualify for this payment.
What is the amount each farmer will receive?
Each qualified farmer will be mailed a one-time stimulus payment from the Department of Agriculture. The final payment amount will be divided equally among the qualified farmers.
When will payment be received?
Payments are anticipated by the end of January 2021.
Is the money yours, free and clear?
Yes, this is not a loan and you do not have to repay the Department of Agriculture.
All questions about this application can be submitted to info.doa@doa.vi.gov or via phone at (340) 778-0997, on St. Croix; (340) 774-5182, on St. Thomas; or (340) 776-6274, on St. John.
Apply Now!
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AUGUST 25, 2020, US Virgin Islands – In the past year, the Virgin Islands Department of Agriculture (VIDA) in conjunction with the UVI Cooperative Extension Service Environmental Health and Climate Team, successfully applied for and became a part of the US Drought Monitor which shows the location and intensity of droughts across the United States and its Territories. This became extremely important when the US Virgin Islands experienced a drought beginning in April 2020 which did not abate as expected in May and has continued with minimal relief.
This designation (its first for the St. Thomas-St. John district), qualifies the Virgin Islands for the Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP) through the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) which offers payments to eligible livestock producers and grazed forage crop acreage. These payments can help cover up to 60% of monthly feed costs, which is calculated by using the normal carrying capacity of the grazing land. Herein lies another opportunity for assistance for farmers to access funding. Please utilize it for your benefit.
To be eligible for LFP, persons or legal entities must be registered with the USDA FSA; a U.S. citizen, resident alien, partnership of U.S. citizens, a legal entity organized under State law, or an Indian tribe or tribal organization defined in the Indian Self Determination and Education Assistance Act that:
- Own, cash or share lease, or be a contract grower of covered livestock during the 60 calendar days before the beginning date of a qualifying drought.
- Provide pastureland or grazing land for covered livestock, including cash-rented pastureland or grazing land as of the date of the qualifying drought that is:
- Physically located in a county affected by a qualifying drought during the normal grazing period for the county
- Certify that they have suffered a grazing loss because of a qualifying drought; and
- Timely file an acreage report for all grazing land for which a grazing loss is being claimed.
This benefit will be distributed to farmers beginning around July 21, 2020. For more information on the timeline of assistance, broken down by island, please see the chart below.
| Island | Drought Category | You may get assistance payments equal to: |
| St. Croix | D3 (extreme drought) | Four months |
| St. Thomas | D2 (severe drought) | One month |
| St. John | D3 (extreme drought) | Four months |
To apply, please contact USDA FSA for an appointment at (340) 773-9146, x105. For more information, visit https://bit.ly/3hG9j53 or email us at info.doa@doa.vi.gov.
VIDA would like to thank US Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue and Congresswoman Stacey Plaskett for their assistance in securing this funding.
Please click here for USDA’s Livestock Forage Fact Sheet.
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Are you a farmer or rancher whose operation has been directly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic?
The Coronavirus Food Assistance Program provides direct relief to producers who faced price declines and additional marketing costs due to COVID-19.
For information, please visit: https://www.farmers.gov/cfap
Information contained in this post was provided through a webinar hosted by the US Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority. For more information or clarification, please use the contact information provided.
Legislature of the Virgin Islands of the United States | Honorable Senator Allison DeGazon
- Welcome to any comments, questions, or suggestions!
- Contact: adegazon@legvi.org
VI Department of Agriculture | Departmental Resources
- Agricultural Development
- Feed, Seed, Slips, & other agricultural supplies are available Territory-wide.
- Farmer Vending
- Food Production
- Land Preparation services still available.
VI Economic Development Authority | Economic Development Commission
- Content to be updated soon
- Please visit their website here.
VI Economic Development Authority | Economic Development Bank
- Farmers Program / Micro Credit Loan
- Maximum direct loan of $50,000
- Maximum loan term of 5 years
- Interest rate: 4% / 5%
- Applicant must be licensed as a commercial farmer for three years / Must be a legal resident of the resident of the Virgin Islands for 5 years.
- Can be used for:
- Capital Costs & Infrastructure
- Equipment & Inventory
- Other tools and implementation for the production and sale of produce.
- For more information, please use this link for their website.
World Central Kitchen | VI Plow to Plate Program
- Offers Grants from $5,000 to $20,000
- Creates opportunities for:
- Capacity Building
- Business & Technical Training
- Exposure to WCK’s network
- Volunteers to Work
- Can be used for:
- Physical Assets
- One time purchases
- Other tools to bring your business to the next level!
- Who can apply?
- Commercial Farmers & Fishers
- Agribusinesses (local, small scale food producers, distributors, & suppliers)
- Deadline April 30th, 11:59pm
- Application: https://wck.org/apply-to-p2p
- Questions, please email: usvi@wck.org
USDA | Natural Resources Conservation Service
- https://www.rd.usda.gov/coronavirus
- Visit the link above to find the most up to date COVID-19 Federal Rural Resource Guide.
- Identified funding and other Federal resources.
- Offers over 50 programs and services:
- Business & industry Loan Guarantee
- Rural Energy of America Renewable Energy System & Energy Efficiency Grant
- Value Added Producer’s Grant
- Distance Learning & Telemedicine Grants (Deadline: July 13, 2020 | Informational Webinar: May 5th)
- If you have questions related to the Distance Learning & Telemedicine Grants
- Andrew Hayes | General Field Representative
- Phone: 770.312.7073 | Email: andrew.hayes@usda.gov
- If you have questions related to the Distance Learning & Telemedicine Grants
- For General Questions, please email vi-rd@usda.gov.
USDA NRCS | Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQUIP) Assistance
- Addresses resource concerns for soil, water, air, cultural, land areas and provides technical and financial assistance in developing new programs and systems on your property.
- EQUIP Requirements:
- Must be registered through the USDA NRCS
- Crop Farmers: Must have irrigation history for crop land
- Livestock Farmers: Must have zoning for pasture land
- Bank account available for direct deposit.
- Office is open for appointments
- For more information please email Rudy O’Reilly at rudy.o_reilly@usda.gov or call (340) 692-9632.
US Small Business Administration
- Please visit https://sba.gov for the most up-to-date information on COVID-19 related assistance
VI Small Business Development Center
- If you need assistance with clarifying which forms are needed, getting documentation together, etc
- Contact: (340) 693-1694 | info@visbdc.org
- Visit their website.
American Farmland Trust | Farmer Relief Fund
- To help directly support farmers impacted by the current crisis, American Farmland Trust is launching a new Farmer Relief Fund.
- AFT’s Farmer Relief Fund will award farmers with cash grants of up to $1,000 each to help them weather the current storm of market disruptions caused by the coronavirus crisis.
- Initially, eligible applicants include any small and mid-size direct-market producers. These are defined as producers with annual gross revenue of between $10,000 and $1 million from sales at farmers markets and/or direct sales to restaurants, caterers, schools, stores, or makers who use farm products as inputs.
- The program will be extended through April 23rd.
