| The first phase, in which participants are initially selected |
for the program, requires the panel to make its selections |
pursuant to selection criteria that include the opportunity for |
increasing the vitality of the farm due to factors such as the |
capability of the applicant to effect positive changes in farm |
operation, the suitability of the land in agricultural use to |
sustain those changes, the degree of threat to continued |
agricultural use of the land due to the financial capacity and |
current farm management practices of the applicant and |
development pressures in the area where the farm is located. If |
the farm is selected for the program, the program will assist the |
farm in assembling a package of outside services including |
financial, marketing, business and farm support persons or |
organizations and provide instruction or classroom training in |
economics and business to the farm's owner or operator to help |
develop a business plan over the period of a year. The business |
plan must look to increase the vitality of the farm through |
changes in farm management practices and investments in equipment |
or property. If a farm is selected in this phase, the farm must |
enter into a 5-year first farmland protection agreement in which |
the farm agrees to protect the farmland from nonagricultural |
development. The farm may withdraw from the agreement if the |
farm repays the department for any outside service reimbursement |
and any direct services provided the farm by the department. |