§ 4604. Legislative intent
It is the intent of the General Assembly in adopting this subchapter to create a working lands enterprise board to administer a fund and develop policy recommendations to:
(1) Stimulate a concerted economic development effort on behalf of Vermont’s agriculture and forest product sectors by systematically advancing entrepreneurism, business development, and job creation.
(2) Recognize and build on the similarities and unique qualities of Vermont’s agriculture and forest product sectors.
(3) Increase the value of Vermont’s raw and value-added products through the development of in-state and export markets.
(4) Attract a new generation of entrepreneurs to Vermont’s farm, food system, forest, and value-added chain by facilitating more affordable access to the working landscape.
(5) Provide assistance to agricultural and forest product businesses in navigating the regulatory process.
(6) Use Vermont’s brand recognition and reputation as a national leader in food systems development, innovative entrepreneurism, and as a “green” state to leverage economic development and opportunity in the agriculture and forest product sectors.
(7) Promote the benefits of Vermont’s working lands, from the economic value of raw and value-added products to the public value of ecological stability, land stewardship, recreational opportunities, and quality of life.
(8) Increase the amount of State investment in working lands enterprises, particularly when it leverages private and philanthropic funds.
(9) Support the people and businesses that depend on Vermont’s renewable land-based resources and the sustainable and productive use of the land by coordinating and integrating financial products and programs.
(10) Provide priority funding to agricultural and forest product enterprises. The priority for funding agricultural and forest product enterprises is not intended to exclude funding for technical assistance that directly supports enterprise development. (Added 2011, No. 142 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. May 15, 2012; amended 2015, No. 39, § 22.)
Structure Vermont Statutes