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3 <br />WHEREAS, Orange County, with approximately 255 tobacco farmers, 1,730 acres <br /> of tobacco grown annually and more than 3.5 million pounds of <br /> tobacco produced last year, has a significant economic and human <br /> stake in tobacco production; and <br />WHEREAS, approximately six million dollars in income enters the Orange <br /> County economy from tobacco grown in this County; and <br />WHEREAS, the Orange County Board of County Commissioners recognizes the <br /> importance of tobacco farming in the rural economy of Orange <br /> County; and <br />WHEREAS, the Orange County Board of County Commissioners recognizes the <br /> plight of tobacco farmers in Orange County who must face declining <br /> support for their products and pressures related to switching to <br /> alternative crops. <br />NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT: <br /> The Orange County Board of Commissioners supports the tobacco <br /> farmers, and all agribusinesses associated with tobacco in Orange <br /> County. <br />The Orange County Board of Commissioners urges our Congressmen <br />David Price and Melvin Watt, as well as our Senators, Lauch <br />Faircloth and Jesse Helms, to reject the 75 cent per pack increase <br />in the federal excise tax on tobacco and to strongly encourage the <br />financing of health care reform more equitably, such as additional <br />taxes on alcohol, firearms, etc. <br />We urge our elected officials to adopt incentives and transitional <br />support to encourage and assist family tobacco farmers to adopt <br />alternative crops suitable for their area. <br />We further urge our elected officials to support continued funding <br />for the Tobacco Research Station in Granville County, North <br />Carolina for its work on alternative uses of tobacco and <br />alternative crops for tobacco farmers. <br />We further urge our elected officials to educate other members in <br />the bodies to which they were elected about the economic <br />ramifications of such an increase in the tobacco tax. <br />Be it further resolved that the Orange County Board of <br />Commissioners encourages tobacco farmers to diversify their farming <br />efforts as soon as possible and that the Orange County Board of <br />Commissioners stands ready to assist in this effort. <br />VOTE: AYES, 4; NOS, 1 (Commissioner Insko) <br />B. RESOLIITION FOR NCACC ANNIIAL CONFERENCE <br />The County Commissioners did not make any recommendations for the <br />NCACC Annual Conference. <br />