The Vermont Natural Resources Conservation Districts and the Vermont Department of Agriculture, Food & Markets offer the Agricultural Resources Specialist program. ARS's offer two main services to farmers, the Farm*A*Syst program and AAP assistance program.

Farm*A*Syst is a free drinking water protection program for farms and voluntary assessments to determine how current practices and structures may pose a risk to drinking water. Free water testing for farm wells provides information on bacteria, nitrates and common pesticide levels. If a water quality problem is found, ARS staff will assist the landowner in trying to determine the cause of the contamination and work with the landowner to find the best solution.

Voluntary Farm Assessments provide information that help ARS staff offer farm-specific suggestions for protecting the farm's drinking water. Suggested actions are linked with technical resources for design and implementation and, if a cost is involved, financial resources for cost-share opportunities.

AAP Assistance Program offers farmers free technical assistance and information to help them meet the requirements of AAP regulations.

By voluntarily implementing the Accepted Agricultural Practices on your farm, you are assuring agriculture is here to stay. By taking the lead in preventing nonpoint source pollution, we can avoid additional regulation and future government policies.

Technical assistance for manure and nutrient management, runoff potential, floodway determinations, stream bank stabilization, vegetative buffer strips and soil erosion potential are all addressed by the AAP Assistance program. The Agricultural Resource Specialist will work with you on strategies that work on your farm to accommodate seasonal changes and increase nutrient capture. If strategies involve implementation costs the ARS will provide information and referrals for State and Federal cost-share programs.