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Vermont

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Vermont aims to conserve Vermont’s soil, water, air, and other natural resources. We deliver conservation solutions to agricultural producers and landowners implementing voluntary conservation on working lands to help feed a growing world. 

Welcome to the Vermont NRCS webpage. The Vermont NRCS webpage contains Vermont-specific information, tools, and resources related to conservation. Browsing our website, you can find news, technical and programmatic information, contact information, success stories, event listings, and more. 

News & Updates

The most up-to-date information on staffing, program deadlines, and news releases & events for NRCS Vermont.

Vermont State Office

  • 356 Mountain View Dr
    Suite #105
    Colchester, VT 05446

Find Your Local Service Center

USDA Service Centers are locations where you can connect with Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, or Rural Development employees for your business needs. Enter your state and county below to find your local service center and agency offices. If this locator does not work in your browser, please visit offices.usda.gov.

USDA Service Center cubicle
Vermont Service Centers

Vermont Service Centers

Vermont NRCS operates from ten USDA offices and Service Centers located around the state. Find NRCS and Conservation District staffing information by zone here.

Man holding soil

Vermont Soils

Here you will find information on soils in Vermont. 

water stream

Vermont Water Resources

Information on Vermont Water Resources focusing on the National Water Quality Initiative and source water protection.

Greg Cox Portrait

Vermont Conservation

Success stories, cultural resources, and other aspects of conservation in Vermont.

Cows on a farm, approaching a reflective stream.

Vermont NRCS Blog

The NRCS Blog is a place for partners, agencies, customers, and the entire Vermont community to keep up-to-date with everything at NRCS. 



Man in Hat

State Payment Schedule

NRCS provides financial assistance for selected conservation practices. The availability and amount of financial assistance can vary between states.

Photo from Vermont Diversity Day

Civil Rights Committee

The National Civil Rights Advisory Committee to the Chief (NCRACC) is designed to provide management officials and employees with counsel and advice to enhance and ensure compliance with their equal employment opportunity and program delivery responsibilities.

Vermont State Technical Committee Meeting

State Technical Committee

State Technical Committees serve in an advisory capacity to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and other agencies of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on the implementation of the natural resources conservation provisions of Farm Bill legislation.

How to Get Assistance

Do you farm or ranch and want to make improvements to the land that you own or lease?

Natural Resources Conservation Service offers technical and financial assistance to help farmers, ranchers and forest landowners.

how to get started

To get started with NRCS, we recommend you stop by your local NRCS field office. We’ll discuss your vision for your land.

NRCS provides landowners with free technical assistance, or advice, for their land. Common technical assistance includes: resource assessment, practice design and resource monitoring. Your conservation planner will help you determine if financial assistance is right for you.

We’ll walk you through the application process. To get started on applying for financial assistance, we’ll work with you:

  • To fill out an AD 1026, which ensures a conservation plan is in place before lands with highly erodible soils are farmed. It also ensures that identified wetland areas are protected.
  • To meet other eligibility certifications.

Once complete, we’ll work with you on the application, or CPA 1200.

Applications for most programs are accepted on a continuous basis, but they’re considered for funding in different ranking periods. Be sure to ask your local NRCS district conservationist about the deadline for the ranking period to ensure you turn in your application in time.

As part of the application process, we’ll check to see if you are eligible. To do this, you’ll need to bring:

  • An official tax ID (Social Security number or an employer ID)
  • A property deed or lease agreement to show you have control of the property; and
  • A farm number.

If you don’t have a farm number, you can get one from USDA’s Farm Service Agency. Typically, the local FSA office is located in the same building as the local NRCS office. You only need a farm number if you’re interested in financial assistance.

NRCS will take a look at the applications and rank them according to local resource concerns, the amount of conservation benefits the work will provide and the needs of applicants. View Application Ranking Dates by State.

If you’re selected, you can choose whether to sign the contract for the work to be done.

Once you sign the contract, you’ll be provided standards and specifications for completing the practice or practices, and then you will have a specified amount of time to implement. Once the work is implemented and inspected, you’ll be paid the rate of compensation for the work if it meets NRCS standards and specifications.