Governor Peter Shumlin, Agency of Agriculture Secretary Chuck Ross, Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation Commissioner Michael Snyder and the Working Lands Enterprise Board will announce the 1st round of grant recipients from the Enterprise Investment Area of the Working Lands Enterprise Fund on Thursday May 2nd at 10am in Room 11 at the State House in Montpelier.
The Working Lands Enterprise Initiative, Act 142, (http://www.leg.state.vt.us/docs/2012/Acts/ACT142.pdf) is administered by the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets and is in partnership with the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks & Recreation, as well as the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development The initiative is composed of the Working Lands Enterprise Board (WLEB), (http://vermontworkinglands.com/wleb.html), responsible for allocating almost $1 million in grant funds. The Board is made up of public and private sector members involved in agriculture, forestry, and/or forest products.
Enterprise Investments are one of three investment areas of the Working Lands Initiative with grants ranging from $3,000-$15,000 for new and growing agriculture and/or forestry based enterprises. The Enterprise Investment Area received 191 applications for a total of $2.1 million in requests. Almost $220,000 in awards to 20 grantees representing sectors across agriculture, forestry, and forest products will be announced.
Information regarding the Working Lands Initiative including investment areas two and three (Working Lands Service Provider Grants and Capital and Infrastructure Investments) can be found at our website at VermontWorkingLands.com.