10-Year Celebration of Vermont's Working Lands Enterprise Initiative!

115 State Street,Montpelier VT 05602

24 January, 2023

Description

The Working Lands Coalition* invites you to come celebrate 10 years of this innovative, one-of-a-kind program that serves as a model for other states across the country. Vermont prospers and its unique sense of place thrives in large part because of investment in the people and enterprises that comprise its farm, food, and forest based economy. The Vermont Legislature recognizes this and in 2012 passed the Working Lands Enterprise Initiative (Act 142) which created the structure for management and investment of state funding into agricultural and forestry based businesses. Over the past 10 years, the initiative has funded 249 agriculture and forestry projects, distributed over $7.3M in working lands funds, and leveraged over $11M in matching funds across all 14 counties of the state. It has created 535 new jobs, employed 1,084 people, impacted 22,890 acres of land, and generated over $45M in additional sales for the Vermont economy. Join founders of the program; past and present legislators; farmers and foresters; members of the Working Lands Enterprise Board, Agency of Agriculture staff, and all who work to keep this program going; and others who want to celebrate Vermont's commitment to the initiative on January 24 in Montpelier with food, drinks, and good company! ------------------- *The Vermont Working Lands Coalition represents the Vermont Working Landscape Partnership made up of nearly 1,000 individuals and organizations who together supported the legislation and encourages legislators to prioritize funding each year. Members include Cabot Creamery Cooperative, Center for an Agricultural Economy, NOFA Vermont, Preservation Trust of Vermont, Shelburne Farms, Vermont Association of Conservation Districts, Vermont Association of Planning and Development Agencies, Vermont Community Loan Fund, Vermont Council on Rural Development, Vermont Farm Bureau, Vermont Land Trust, Vermont Natural Resoruces Council, Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund and Farm to Plate, Vermont Wood Works Council, Vermont Woodlands Association, and the Woodstock Foundation. We hope you will join us!