Tyler and Melanie Webb already had a history with the VFF, taking out their first loan to catch their finances up with the innovative projects they were doing on their farm. With a brand new project underway to put in a new pasture irrigation system, the Webbs asked if they could pay off their first loan and apply for a second, larger Business Builder loan for $30,000.

The project at Stony Pond Farm is no simple irrigation system, but rather a way to simultaneously reclaim nutrients from their compost and animal waste, enhance soil fertility on their intensively grazed land, and improve drainage on some of their best and most relied upon acreage.

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture liked the farm’s plan so much that they offered a grant worth 80% of the estimated project cost. Since the grant only pays out after the construction is complete and the system fully integrated, the Webbs were looking for an economical way to finance their plan.

The 3% interest Vermont Farm Fund Business Builder loan helped the Webbs to complete this ambitious project. According to Doug Flack, from Flack Family Farm, this system could be a model for other farmers in Vermont. “It gives farmers a low-cost way to get nutrients into the soil without adding chemicals. . . Farmers were blown away by the system in a recent on-farm workshop.”

We see this Stony Pond Farm project as an all around win, improving environmental conditions, using waste to enhance fertility, improving drainage, and freeing up more space for their local ag incubator projects. All of these help strengthen Stony Pond’s business, as well as the agricultural economy of Vermont.

Photos courtesy of Stony Pond Farm.