Get Your Soil and Water Tested for PFAS — With USDA Help

Bennington County Conservation District is helping landowners across Bennington County access PFAS testing through the USDA. Every application does two things at once: it gets you the information you need about your land, and it helps show USDA and other Federal Agencies that our region needs this service.

If you own or operate qualifying land in our area — a farm, a homestead, a market or community garden, hayfields or pasture, a sugarbush, wooded acreage, and in some cases home gardens — you may be able to have your soil or water tested for PFAS at reduced or no cost through the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), using a Conservation Practice called CEMA 209.

The more of us who apply, the stronger the case that NRCS and other Federal Agencies should dedicate more resources — and faster funding — to testing here.

Start with the application form below.

What is CEMA 209?

CEMA 209 — PFAS Testing in Water or Soil — is a conservation activity funded through NRCS's flagship program, the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).

In plain terms: it helps pay for a qualified professional to collect soil or water samples on your land and have them lab-tested for PFAS, using EPA- or state-approved methods.

A few things to understand up front:

• It's a prescreening tool. CEMA 209 is designed to tell you whether PFAS is likely present on your land. It is not a full contamination assessment or a cleanup determination — but it's the essential first step, and it gives you real information to act on.
• It's cost-share assistance. EQIP is designed to help offset the cost of testing. The exact arrangement — what's covered and how — is set by NRCS when your application is processed.
• The testing is done by a Qualified Individual approved by NRCS.

Who can apply?

EQIP is a working-lands program, so eligibility depends on your land, not just on owning property. You may be eligible if you are an owner or operator of:

• Farmland — cropland, pasture, hayfields, or land producing any agricultural product (including maple/sugarbush)
• Non-industrial private forestland — wooded acreage counts
• A homestead or small operation with qualifying agricultural or forest land
• A market garden, community garden, CSA, or other food-production site including home gardens in some cicumstances
• Rented or leased qualifying land — renters and operators can apply with the landowner's written permission

You'll also need a farm number from USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA). If you don't have one, it's straightforward to get — usually at the same office — and BCCD can walk you through it.

Do I have to be a farmer? Not exactly — but your land generally needs to qualify as agricultural land or private forestland, and you need to be treated as producing something on it. NRCS makes the final call on eligibility. Many rural Vermont properties qualify without the owner thinking of themselves as a "farmer." If you're not sure whether yours does, that's exactly the kind of question BCCD can help you sort out before you apply.

Roughly speaking, the stronger your connection to food or forest production, the stronger your case:

Backyard garden only, no FSA farm records, no production activity/sales/donation records- Weaker / uncertain

Homestead-scale grower with FSA farm records and real crop, livestock, or maple activity - Possible

Market garden, community garden, CSA, orchard, livestock or poultry, sugarbush, or managed forestland - Strongest

Why every application matters

Here's the part that makes this bigger than any one property.

NRCS dedicates funding where it can see demand. Right now, southwestern Vermont doesn't have a clear, documented picture of how many landowners want PFAS soil testing — which makes it easy for the need here to go unmet.

Each application you submit is an on-the-record request that helps change that. A cluster of applications from Bennington, North Bennington, Pownal, Shaftsbury, and neighboring towns gives NRCS concrete justification to dedicate additional EQIP resources to our region and to streamline how quickly these requests get approved and funded.

Individually, you get answers about your own land. Together, we build the case for our whole community. That's community self-reliance in practice: neighbors acting in parallel to unlock a resource none of us can secure alone.

There's a real gap this helps close. Vermont's PFAS response has focused primarily on drinking water. If you grow food, your soil is often the open question — residents may be warned about contaminated water and told not to use it on vegetables, yet have no accessible way to test the ground they're actually growing in. For eligible growers, CEMA 209 is one of the few pathways that tests soil directly, where your food comes from.

Before you apply: important things to weigh

We want you to make this decision with full information.

A documented PFAS result can have downstream consequences. Under current USDA guidance, if PFAS contamination is identified on a property through the agency's environmental review process, it may affect future eligibility for FSA farm loans or participation in NRCS conservation easement programs, and it could be reflected in a property's appraised value.

USDA's approach to PFAS is still developing, and this guidance may change over time. This isn't a reason to avoid testing — for most landowners, knowing what's in their soil and water is worth far more than not knowing. But it's a real consideration, especially if you're planning to seek an FSA loan or enroll land in an easement program in the near future. Weigh the benefits and the risks for your own situation, and reach out to us if you'd like to talk it through before deciding.

How to apply

There are two easy ways to get your form — and BCCD can carry it the rest of the way to Rutland for you.

1. Get your form

Download it: nrcs-cpa-1200-december-2025.pdf

Or pick one up at your town clerk's office:

• Pownal, Bennington, and Shaftsbury residents — copies of the CPA-1200 are available to pick up and fill out at your town clerk's office.
• North Bennington residents — use either the Bennington or Shaftsbury town clerk's office.

2. Fill it out

• Select EQIP as the program — the Environmental Quality Incentives Program.
• Under "Assistance Requested," write:

3. Submit it — let BCCD do the driving

Once your form is complete, BCCD will coordinate pickup and delivery of applications to the NRCS office in Rutland — so you don't have to make the trip yourself. Leave your completed form at your town clerk's office, or contact BCCD (see below) to arrange collection.

Prefer to handle it yourself? You're welcome to deliver or mail your completed CPA-1200 directly to the Rutland NRCS office.

Need help? That's what we're here for

Bennington County Conservation District can assist you at every step:

• Filling out the CPA-1200 form
• Understanding whether your land is eligible
• Getting an FSA farm number
• Obtaining landowner permission (for renters and operators)
• Connecting with the right NRCS staff
• Answering any questions along the way  Contact BCCD

Frequently asked questions

What happens after I apply? NRCS reviews your application and confirms that both you and your land are eligible. A conservation planner typically follows up, and — if your application is approved and funded — sampling of your soil or water is arranged with a Qualified Individual. Timelines vary depending on funding availability and demand.

Is there a cost? EQIP is cost-share assistance designed to help cover the cost of PFAS prescreening testing. Exactly what's covered, and how payment works, is determined by NRCS when your application is processed. Historically underserved producers (including beginning, veteran, and limited-resource farmers) may qualify for higher assistance rates. Contact BCCD or NRCS for specifics on your situation.

Does applying guarantee I'll get testing? No. EQIP is subject to funding availability, and NRCS determines eligibility and ranks applications. Applying is the necessary first step, but it doesn't guarantee approval or funding — which is exactly why strong community demand matters: it helps NRCS commit the resources to say yes to more applications.

What if I rent the land? Renters and operators can apply, with written permission from the landowner. NRCS may require a written landowner agreement, and BCCD can help you put that in place.

Can municipalities apply? Possibly, in limited circumstances. Publicly owned land can sometimes qualify — for example, when it's under private control or part of an agricultural operation. If you manage town-owned land, contact NRCS (BCCD can help) to check whether it's eligible.

Can forestland be tested? Yes. Non-industrial private forestland is eligible for EQIP, and forest landowners can apply to have soil or water on wooded acreage sampled.

Can homeowners apply? It depends on your land. EQIP is for agricultural producers and private forest landowners, so eligibility comes down to whether your property qualifies — for instance, as farmland, a homestead operation, or private forestland — rather than simply owning a home. Many rural Vermont properties qualify. A purely residential lot with no agricultural or forest use generally won't. BCCD can point you to other testing options, including state resources for residential wells.

I grow my own food — can I apply to test my soil? Possibly, and it's worth asking. The key is whether NRCS can treat your land as an agricultural operation. A backyard garden with no FSA farm records and no production activity is a weaker case; a homestead, market garden, community garden, CSA, orchard, or small livestock operation is a much stronger one — especially once FSA farm records are established for you and the land. The most effective move is to go to FSA/NRCS and ask specifically: "I grow food on this land and I'm concerned about PFAS in agricultural soil. Can I establish or update FSA farm records and apply for EQIP CEMA 209?" That places your request inside an activity that already exists. BCCD can help you make that case.

What if contamination is found? First, you'll have real information to act on — about your drinking water, your soil, and how you use your land. Second, be aware of the tradeoff described in "Before you apply" above: a documented result can affect future FSA loan eligibility, NRCS easement participation, and potentially property value. For most landowners, knowing is worth far more than not knowing — but it's your call, and we're happy to help you think it through.

Will my information be public? NRCS generally treats individual applicant and land information as protected and does not publish it. If your specific privacy concerns matter to your decision, ask NRCS directly how your data will be handled. Note that the demand this effort documents is about aggregate numbers of applications — not the release of anyone's individual information.

Do I have to drive to Rutland to submit my form? No. BCCD coordinates pickup and delivery of completed applications to the Rutland NRCS office on your behalf. You can pick up and fill out a CPA-1200 at your town clerk's office (Pownal, Bennington, and Shaftsbury; North Bennington residents can use the Bennington or Shaftsbury clerk), leave it there, and we'll get it where it needs to go. You're also welcome to submit directly to NRCS if you prefer.

Why are applications so important? Because demand is what unlocks funding. Every application is a documented request that shows NRCS the need is real and widespread in southwestern Vermont. The more of us who apply, the stronger the justification for NRCS to dedicate additional EQIP resources and speed up approvals — for you and for your neighbors.

Bennington County Conservation District is working with communities across southwestern Vermont to make PFAS testing accessible and to demonstrate the need for it. Have questions?  Get in touch.