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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS <br />AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: November 5, 2009 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. (o —Q <br />SUBJECT: Oranae County Aaricultural Development and Farmland Protection Plan <br />DEPARTMENTS: Environment and Resource PUBLIC HEARING: (YIN) No <br />Conservation, Soil and Water <br />Conservation District, Farm <br />Services Agency, Cooperative <br />Extension <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />1) ADFP Program Brochure <br />2) Cover Memo from APB Chair <br />3) Final Steps Schedule <br />4) Resolution for Adoption FPP <br />5) Draft Document <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />David Stancil <br />245 -2590 <br />Brent Bogue <br />245 -2750 <br />Phyllis Ruth <br />732 -4301 x2 <br />Joey Knight <br />245 -2050 <br />PURPOSE: To consider adopting an Agricultural Development and Farmland Protection Plan <br />(FPP) for Orange County. <br />BACKGROUND: In 1986, the North Carolina General Assembly passed the Farmland <br />Preservation Enabling Act, which provided counties with the authority to establish farmland <br />preservation programs including voluntary agricultural districts (VADs) and agricultural advisory <br />boards. In 2005, the General Assembly amended the program with an expanded focus. The <br />new Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Enabling Act and the Agricultural <br />Development and Farmland Preservation (ADFP) Trust Fund supports agricultural development <br />programs such as business planning and incubator programs as well as agricultural <br />conservation easements and other traditional farmland preservation programs (please see <br />Attachment 1). Counties with adopted countywide farmland protection plans receive <br />preference and lower match requirements for Trust Fund monies. In the last two years, <br />creation of these plans has become a priority for many County -level farmland programs in the <br />State, with several currently underway. While Orange County has approved a number of <br />different farmland preservation reports and programs over the past two decades, some <br />components of the new state - recommended Farmland Protection Plan have not been <br />previously incorporated into a single document, as envisioned by the new state legislation. <br />The creation of a plan under the new model from the state has been a priority for the County <br />agricultural agencies. For more than a year and a half, the Agricultural Preservation Board has <br />been working with the other local agricultural advisory boards (Soil and Water Conservation <br />District Board of Supervisors, Farm Services Agency Committee for Durham and Orange <br />counties, and the Cooperative Extension Advisory Council) to prepare this important plan, which <br />- consistent with the new 2030 Comprehensive Plan - should serve as the strategic plan for <br />County agricultural activities for the next several years (please see Attachments 2 and 3). The <br />