Anyone interested in helping me with a farmland preservation planning project in Knox?

[TheNorthCountryFair]

I just got off the phone with my Dad who tipped me off about a grant that Ag and Markets is offering to help towns develop farmland protection plans. Apparently, Berne has applied and has a very strong application. Ag and Markets would really like Knox to apply as well. I am out in Burlington right now finishing school, but will be back and forth to Knox this summer doing some other consulting work, and would definitely be interested in working on this planning grant with someone else if anyone is interested. The application is due soon (this month), but if anyone is out there and wants to get some planning experience I am thinking it would be a great project to add to my slate of contracts. Let me know. [e-mail]

[TheNorthCountryFair]

I went to Ag and Markets today and picked up the grant application. It is too late to put together a grant to submit for the June funding round, but there will be another round of grants awarded in the early Fall. I am going to make a go for it and put together a grant application to fund the process of developing the farmland protection plan. If anyone is interested in working on it with me I am totally open to teaming up. It's a non-competitive grant, so as long as we put together a strong application it is basically a shoe-in.

If I am awarded the grant I will definitely need some manpower to put the plan together. It's allowed to take up to 24 months, but can also be done as quickly as we can put it together. The process will involve talking to local farmers about their concerns over development, conflicts they have had with neighbors, organizing town meetings, conducting public surveys, mapping productive soils, working with the Soil and Water Conservation District, and coordinating public officials. If anyone is interested in public planning, it would be a great way to get your feet wet. Feel free to email me, or give me a call on my cell at 518-669-3447. I have all kinds of background information that Ag and Markets gave me today.

[Soundpolitic]

Would love to help! I just caught your month-old news coverage in The Enterprise last month while putting together a scrapbook of news clippings from the recent Congressional campaigns. Crazy how you miss local stuff when you're so caught up in State and Federal do-nothings :-)

From the in print headline, I passed it over thinking that the old man was up to his usual good work again. What a pleasant surprise to see the next generation hard at work!