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2 <br /> agency. He added it is up to the Board if they want this submitted because there are so many <br /> loopholes and legislative changes are the only way to close them. <br /> Senator Foushee said if this is something they want the Delegation to introduce and support this <br /> should not be done in their short session because she is not sure if it meets the criteria for a short <br /> session. <br /> Commissioner Dorosin said this issue came about because people are trying to get a farm <br /> categorization in order to avoid zoning. <br /> Senator Foushee said this would have to be a statewide bill not a local bill. <br /> Representative Meyer said pressure that comes around this issue is from large farms like forestry and <br /> livestock farms and this is an issue that would engage a lot of different industries. This is a <br /> conversation that he would like to have time to talk to farmers and bring forth in a long session. <br /> Commissioner Jacobs said this would go along with Item #31 –Agriculture- Support Conservation of <br /> Working Lands and Farmland Preservation. He said these two items could address conflicts in <br /> urbanizing areas and those areas that are trying to exploit agri-toursim rules. <br /> Chair McKee said this is more of an issue in the urbanizing areas such as the proposed event venue <br /> in the southern part of Orange County. He said this proposed property is not a farm, which exempts <br /> them out of regulation. <br /> Chair McKee said the conversation could start now with Farm Bureau and we could bring it back to <br /> the long session next year. But if the Legislature does move forward with this, many of these farms <br /> are small farms and the agri tourism events are critical to their function. But as it stands now this <br /> process is being abused. <br /> Chair McKee said he is seeing an increase in the area of non-farm activities. <br /> Representative lnsko said who is supportive of this issue in the community and who is opposed to it <br /> as it now stands. <br /> Chair McKee said the concerns are from neighborhoods that have been mainly for agricultural use <br /> and now people are coming in and turning these into farms for commercial use. <br /> Representative lnsko said again - who is opposed to this proposed clarification. <br /> Chair McKee said the agricultural community are concerned that if the language is "tightened" then <br /> this may hurt their operations-because if you have a declining farm operation but your agri-tourism <br /> increases-and five years down the line you are suddenly not farming but the other one—would you <br /> be grandfathered in <br /> Representative lnsko said is this a zoning and tax issue. <br /> John Roberts said with the Board it is a zoning issue but there are some potential tax implications. <br /> Representative Meyer said this type of issue in the General Assembly is never a "cut and dry" issue <br /> and may be amended and changed many times meaning it could move slower through the process. <br /> Most legislators don't want to vote on something "under the radar". And if the Delegation takes the <br /> time to review and talk this out, then that would enable them as legislators to get this up the statewide <br /> chain by lobbying through the Farm Bureau. <br /> Representative lnsko said this should be a bill with a lot of statewide interest as related to farms. <br />