§ 8. Agricultural lands planning criteria
(a) The Secretary shall establish guidelines to assist municipal and regional planning commissions in identifying agricultural lands. The guidelines shall provide, but not be limited to:
(1) soil characteristics appropriate to agricultural land;
(2) appropriate size of the parcel and use of adjacent land;
(3) the importance of agriculture to the region or locality;
(4) the availability and capacity of agricultural services and labor to support farming in the region; and
(5) the importance of the land, as agricultural land, to the character of the locality.
(b) The guidelines established by the Secretary under subsection (a) of this section may be applied by each regional and municipal planning commission to establish specific criteria for identifying agricultural lands within that region or municipality. (Added 1987, No. 200 (Adj. Sess.), § 30, eff. May 19, 1988; amended 2003, No. 42, § 2, eff. May 27, 2003.)
Structure Vermont Statutes
Chapter 1 - General Powers; Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets
§ 1. General powers of Agency; Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets
§ 2. Appointment of Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets
§ 3. Duties of Secretary generally; educational work
§ 7. Feed, seed, and fertilizer authority
§ 8. Agricultural lands planning criteria
§ 11. Administrative hearings; hearing officers
§ 13. Assurances of discontinuance
§ 14. Acceptance of gifts of real property
§ 15. Administrative penalties
§ 16. Notice and fair hearing requirements
§ 18. Certificate of free sale
§ 19. Emergency livestock feed program
§ 20. Vermont Food Animal Veterinarian Educational Loan Repayment Fund
§ 21. Authority to address public health hazards and food safety issues
§ 22. License applications and pending allegations or past violations