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3 <br /> District (VAD) program in the Schley/Eno Agricultural District. The farm operation includes <br /> beef cattle, pastures, and hay crops. The Ward Farm has been evaluated against each of <br /> the VAD certification requirement standards and meets or exceeds all of the measures <br /> above. <br /> 6) Owners Patsy Finley and Stephen and Suanne Finley have submitted an application to enroll <br /> five (5) parcels of land totaling 88.73 acres as qualifying farmland for the Voluntary <br /> Agricultural District (VAD) program in the Cedar Grove Agricultural District. The farm <br /> operation includes horses, pastures, hay crops and managed woodland. The Finley Farm <br /> has been evaluated against each of the VAD certification requirement standards and meets <br /> or exceeds all of the measures above. <br /> FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no fiscal impact associated with this item. Voluntary Agricultural <br /> Districts are non-monetary and non-binding conservation agreements. Enhanced Voluntary <br /> Agriculture Districts are non-monetary and are binding 10-year conservation agreements. <br /> SOCIAL JUSTICE IMPACT: The following Orange County Social Justice Goal is applicable to <br /> this item: <br /> • GOAL: ENSURE ECONOMIC SELF-SUFFICIENCY <br /> The creation and preservation of infrastructure, policies, programs and funding necessary <br /> for residents to provide shelter, food, clothing and medical care for themselves and their <br /> dependents. <br /> The Orange County Voluntary Agricultural District Program ordinance conserves, protects and <br /> encourages the preservation and improvement of agricultural land within the County boundaries <br /> as a critical component of the County's cultural and rural character and its economy by virtue of <br /> the production of food, fiber and other products. The purpose of this Ordinance is to reduce the <br /> loss of productive and existing farmland by promoting agricultural values and the general <br /> welfare of the County, recognize the existence of important farmlands by seeking to minimize <br /> risks of nuisance suits that arise from the onset of other land uses, encourage participation in <br /> voluntary programs to preserve and protect farmland from non-farm development and increase <br /> identity and awareness of the agricultural community, and its role in the economic and cultural <br /> quality of life for all County residents. (from the Orange County VAD program ordinance) <br /> RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board certify the six (6) farm <br /> properties noted above totaling 378 acres (VAD) and 159 acres (EVAD) (rounded acreage) as <br /> denoted in the attached documentation as qualifying farmland; designate it as a Voluntary or <br /> Enhanced Voluntary Agricultural District farm within the Caldwell, Cane Creek/Buckhorn, <br /> Schley/Eno, Cedar Grove, and White Cross Voluntary Agricultural Districts; and enroll the lands <br /> in the Orange County Voluntary Agricultural District (VAD) and the Enhanced Voluntary <br /> Agricultural District (EVAD) programs. <br /> With approval of these additional acres, the Orange County Voluntary Agricultural District <br /> Program will have enrolled 76 farms - totaling 8,914 acres in the VAD and 2,018 acres in the <br /> EVAD for a total of 10,932 acres (rounded) in the program. <br />