Agenda - 06-02-2015 - 6a - Laserfiche WebLink

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12 1 "Value Radius" 2 3 Considerations 4 • Do we want to embrace the CEFS 10% Campaign as it exists (including its definition of 5 "local ") or do we want a program specific to Orange County? 6 7 • Do we want to create requirements or offer incentives toward achieving greater sourcing 8 of local foods? 9 10 • Can we effectively achieve the goal by collaborative investments (public - private) in a 11 "farm to fork" food system infrastructure which would facilitate local sourcing? 12 13 Recommendations 14 • Make the 10% Campaign the first priority of the Orange County Economic Development 15 Plan which is under construction at the Economic Development Office. 16 17 • Fund an initial public outreach campaign and ongoing quarterly /seasonal activities to 18 raise public awareness of the 10% initiative. 19 20 • Direct the Agriculture Economic Developer to work with County departments to increase 21 local food sourcing and develop and maintain a local producer /provider database 22 (buying guide) for use by County departments in their local sourcing efforts. This buying 23 guide will be continually updated and shared throughout all departments. 24 25 • Authorize the Economic Development Office to create a Food Systems Advisory Team 26 to assist in the further implementation and ongoing management of the 10% Campaign 27 and other food system economic development efforts. 28 29 • Direct the proposed Food Systems Advisory Team to also evaluate the possibility of a 30 separate but complimentary "local food sourcing" campaign specific to Orange County. 31 32 Merge many of the current initiatives into a common collaborative effort to grow 33 agricultural economic development and local food systems by creating market 34 infrastructure (food enterprise district, food hub, PFAP, rural aggregation center, Breeze 35 Farm development, etc.). 36 37 Commissioner Burroughs said the aggregation system seems like a big issue to 38 achieving the sourcing of local foods. 39 Mike Ortosky said there is one in Yancey County, and initially farmers were reluctant. 40 He said the farmers get eighty percent of the wholesale value. He said there is more buy -in 41 now. He said ultimately aggregation is the answer especially for smaller to mid -size 42 businesses. He said even larger businesses are looking at it as well. He said larger 43 businesses, like Whole Foods, want to buy locally if there is a way for small growers to provide 44 palettes of food at a time versus ten pounds at a time. 45 Commissioner Jacobs commented on the definition of "local ". He said there has been 46 same debate about the arts commission commissioning art for future and whether to do it 47 locally or to do a national search. He said he does not favor a national search but understands 48 that it makes it more difficult if the definition of local means Orange County.