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Required Agricultural Practices

A field with a "Cover Crops" sign. The ground has remnants of harvested plants, with trees and hills in the background.

The Required Agricultural Practices (RAPs) are an updated version of the Accepted Agricultural Practices (AAPs), the rules which regulate farms in order to protect water quality.  RAPs apply to all farms but have new specific requirements for Certified Small Farming Operations (CSFOs).  All CSFOs are now required to have updated Nutrient Management Plans, soil samples every 3-years, manure samples every year, and get four hours of water quality training credits every five years.

Not sure if you're a certified small farm operation? Click here

Required Agricultural Practices Online Quiz

Online quiz for water quality training credits in Vermont, required every five years for farm operations. Features cows and a barn.

Would you like an easy way to learn about the RAPs? Our neighbors at the Orleans County Conservation District have developed an online RAP Quiz – a great way to learn and test your knowledge about the RAPs.  For a bonus – if you’re a farmer you can earn your required water quality credits right from home.

Click here for the RAP Quiz and Videos