Agricultural Advisory Council

Created according to Ordinance Amendment #4, 98-99.

• Advise the county board and the county executive on all agricultural matters, including the implementation of county efforts to promote healthy, working rural communities;
• Identify new markets for agriculture, generally, including biotechnology, value-added processing and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) opportunities;
• Monitor and help in publicizing cooperative marketing approaches to coordinate product delivery and provide other services;
• Investigate means to assist farmers in retirement planning, such as inclusion in the state of Wisconsin retirement plan, other pooled investment accounts, and other retirement options;
• Provide assistance to those who would like to become farmers as well as farmers facing times of financial hardship by developing information about available financial resources and loan programs and make recommendations to the ways and means committee regarding the county's legislative agenda on state farm financing programs;
• Monitor federal and state agricultural policy and make recommendations to the ways and means committee regarding the county's legislative agenda;
• Work with the county’s legislative lobbyist to research and report on state and federal programs and resources available to Dane County to address the economic needs of farmers. Make recommendations and advise the county board and the county executive on such other agricultural issues as either may from time to time refer to the council.