Orange County NC Website
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51 <br />1 efforts to encourage the public school systems, the University of North Carolina at Chapel <br />2 Hill, and UNC Hospital to purchase local food products whenever possible, and is working to <br />3 develop the infrastructure needed to facilitate this exchange. The county is fortunate to <br />4 house the Weaver Street Market cooperative, which is a substantial buyer of locally grown <br />5 products. Several area restaurants also support local growers as does the County where <br />6 possible. <br />7 <br />8 Activities in this area to date include: <br />9 a. Creation of an Orange County Farms website and other print publications to identify <br />10 locally grown product.28 This website can also be used by farmers to identify <br />11 purchasing opportunities and the business development assistance outlined above; <br />12 b. Work with the organizers of the local farmers markets and assist with their marketing <br />13 effort where possible; <br />14 c. Work with local retail stores and restaurants to purchase and promote products grown <br />15 locally in the county; <br />16 d. Work with local institutions such as schools and state offices to purchase food grown <br />17 locally; <br />18 e. Expand cooperative efforts with neighboring counties to create a regional identity that <br />19 includes promotion of agriculture; and <br />20 f. Sponsorship of festivals, farm tours and other public recognition. <br />21 <br />22 5. Improve the Marketing Capacity of Farmers. <br />23 Traditionally, farmers have relied on off-farm distributors to .handle marketing and price <br />24 negotiation for their products. Increasingly, farmers will recognize the value of direct <br />25 marketing their products to county residents as they diversity and specialize their <br />26 production. In addition to the steps outlined above, this item could include: <br />27 a. Cooperative ventures may help farmers work together to meet the quantity demands <br />28 for institutional markets. Farm cooperatives can be used for marketing purposes, <br />29 financing new ventures and purchasing raw materials, such as fuel and electricity, or <br />30 the formation of less formal bargaining groups to jointly purchase farm supplies and <br />31 cooperatively advertise farm products. Orange County holds an Agricultural Summit <br />32 each February to explore these ventures and bring together potential cooperative <br />33 farms.29 <br />34 b. The County also holds (at the Summit and at other times during the year) marketing <br />35 workshops with input from farmers from other counties who have successfully <br />36 diversified and direct-marketed their production. <br />37 <br />38 <br />39 Sunuort Farm Operations and the Right-to-Farm <br />40 1. Support the Right-to-Farm. <br />41 County and town officials should actively acknowledge the state right to farm law and seek <br />42 to improve neighbor relations and general understanding of commercial farm activities and <br />43 needs to reduce nuisance suits and generate positive public support for local agriculture. <br />44 Action items can include: <br />'~ Orange County, North Carolina has created such a site, found at (www.orangecountyfarms oro). <br />29 See Steuben County, New York, Farmland Protection Plan. <br />Draft 11/09/2009 Action Steps to Ensure a Viable Agricultural Community 40 <br />