Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Vermont Housing and Conservation Board details farmland conservation, farmworker housing and business support
Summary
At a committee meeting, the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board described how its conservation easements, farm-and-forest viability services, and housing programs aim to preserve farmland, support farm transfers and improve water quality, while warning of funding uncertainty for some federal matches.
Gus Selig, director of the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, told the Agriculture, Food Resiliency & Forestry committee that VHCB uses conservation easements, development-rights purchases and business assistance to keep land in farming, expand farm access and support rural economies.
The presentation summarized VHCB’s portfolio and programs and why the board sees them as central to both conservation and rural housing: protecting farmland and natural resources, facilitating farm transfers, improving farmworker housing and providing hands-on business planning and grant assistance to working lands and forest businesses.
‘‘By statute, there needs to be a farmer on the board,’’ Selig said, describing VHCB as a ‘‘quasi-public corporation’’ that pairs state investment with private, municipal and federal funding. He said the agency’s state…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
