Vermont Statutes Title 6 Sec. 4821
Terms Used In Vermont Statutes Title 6 Sec. 4821
- Agency: means the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets. See
- agricultural waste: means material originating or emanating from a farm or imported onto a farm that is determined by the Secretary or the Secretary of Natural Resources to be harmful to the waters of the State, including sediments; minerals, including heavy metals; plant nutrients; pesticides; organic wastes, including livestock waste; animal mortalities; compost; feed, and crop debris; waste oils; pathogenic bacteria and viruses; thermal pollution; silage runoff; untreated milk house waste; and any other farm waste as the term "waste" is defined in 10 V. See
- Secretary: means the Secretary of Agriculture, Food and Markets. See
- State: when applied to the different parts of the United States may apply to the District of Columbia and any territory and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. See
§ 4821. Assistance program created; administration
(a) Program created. A program is created to provide State financial assistance to Vermont farmers in support of their voluntary construction of on-farm improvements and maintenance of acceptable operating standards designed to abate nonpoint source agricultural waste discharges into the waters of the State of Vermont, consistent with goals of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act and with State water quality standards. The program shall be conducted in a manner that makes maximum use of federal financial aid for the same purpose, as provided by this subchapter, and that seeks to use the least costly methods available to accomplish the abatement required. The construction of temporary fencing intended to exclude livestock from entering surface waters of the State shall be an on-farm improvement eligible for assistance under this subchapter when subject to a maintenance agreement entered into with the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets.
(b) Program administration. The Secretary:
(1) Shall administer the State assistance program, for which purpose the Secretary shall coordinate with officials of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or other federal agencies, and shall adopt rules pursuant to 3 Vt. Stat. Ann. chapter 25 concerning farmer application and eligibility requirements, financial assistance award priorities, and other administrative and enforcement conditions.
(2) May provide technical assistance to individual farmers with the preparation of on-farm agricultural waste management plans, applications for State and federal financial assistance awards, installation of on-farm improvements, and maintenance of acceptable operating standards during the term of the program grant agreement. For this purpose, State employees of the Agency shall cooperate with federal employees of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or other federal agencies. (Added 1995, No. 62, § 37, eff. April 26, 1995; amended 1999, No. 100 (Adj. Sess.), § 3, eff. May 5, 2000; 2003, No. 42, § 2, eff. May 27, 2003; 2009, No. 110 (Adj. Sess.), § 9, eff. May 18, 2010; 2015, No. 39, § 3.)