Orange County NC Website
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7 <br />1 <br />2 <br />3 <br />4 <br />5 <br />6 <br />7 <br />8 <br />9 <br />10 <br />11 <br />12 <br />13 <br />14 <br />15 <br />16 <br />17 <br />18 <br />19 <br />20 <br />21 <br />22 <br />23 <br />24 <br />25 <br />26 <br />27 <br />28 <br />29 <br />30 <br />31 <br />32 <br />33 <br />34 <br />35 <br />36 <br />37 <br />38 <br />39 <br />40 <br />41 <br />42 <br />43 <br />44 <br />45 <br />46 <br />47 <br />48 <br />49 <br />50 <br />7) A schedule to implement the action steps. <br />*Counties must adopt new Farmland Protection Plans to lower match requirements for ADFP <br />Grants. <br />Table of Contents -ORANGE COUNTY FPP <br />Executive Summary <br />Introduction <br />Guiding Principles <br />Overview of Agricultural Activity <br />Challenges to Agriculture in Orange County <br />Opportunities for Enhancing Agriculture in Orange County <br />A New Vision for the Future of Agriculture <br />Action Steps to Ensure a Viable Agricultural Community <br />Implementation Schedule <br />Authority of County Action <br />Project Milestones <br />January 2008: APB meets with Ag Advisory Boards to discuss Farmland Protection Plan and <br />Comprehensive Plan <br />November 2008: APB meets with Ag Advisory Boards to discuss draft Farmland Protection <br />Plan. <br />March 2009: ERCD staff meets with Karen McAdams and Gail Hughes to make sure all <br />comments are addressed <br />April 2009: ERCD staff submits draft FPP to ADFP staff, Ag Advisory Boards and EDC for final <br />review <br />Mav 2009: ERCXD staff makes final revisions <br />June 2009: County staff shares working draft with BOCC as informational item <br />Executive Summary -Successes <br />1) More than 2,700 acres enrolled in the Voluntary Agricultural District Program <br />2) More than 1,275 acres of prime and threatened farmland permanently protected with 14 <br />conservation easements <br />3) Vital component of local economy; more than $46,000,000 in gross agricultural sales in <br />2005 <br />4) Great direct marking opportunities; strong interest in locally grown products; five active <br />farmers markets <br />5) Regional value-added food processing center underway <br />6) People Learning Agriculture Now for Tomorrow (PLANT) farm enterprise incubator at <br />Breeze Farm <br />Executive Summary -Areas for Improvement <br />1) We can no longer consider working lands (agricultural or forestlands) as undeveloped <br />2) We must recognize and address the challenges of large-acreage framers, the stewards <br />of our "rural experience" <br />3) We must adopt a more proactive approach toward attracting new farmers and new farm <br />operations <br />4) We must continue to educate residents on the indirect benefits of agriculture to the <br />community <br />5) We must begin a dialogue with the municipalities in and adjacent to Orange County <br />regarding agricultural issues <br />