Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
1) A statement of the need for action <br /> 2) A summary of the County's authority to adopt a plan <br /> 3) An overview of agricultural activity, past and present <br /> 4) An outline of challenges for local agricultural efforts <br /> 5) A list of opportunities for enhancing local agriculture, including existing programs and <br /> potential new programs <br /> 6) A set of action steps to ensure a more viable agricultural community for the future, and <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 <br /> final review <br /> May 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 <br /> 14 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 />