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28 <br /> agriculture, and other ventures, initiatives and projects. The Board assists in <br /> other programs such as the annual Agricultural Summit. <br /> What are your Board/Commission's most important accomplishments? <br /> • Hosted a successful breakfast program/informational workshop for <br /> existing and prospective VAD/EVAD farm owners to encourage new <br /> participants and answer questions; 75 people attended this first event held <br /> at the Cedar Grove Community Center. <br /> • In 2016, reviewed and recommended approval for 11 additional farms as <br /> Voluntary Agricultural District and Enhanced Voluntary Agricultural District <br /> farms, adding 1084 acres to these programs. This amount increased the <br /> total enrollment into both programs to 11,464 acres on 78 farms <br /> throughout Orange County and increased acreage in all of the seven <br /> Agricultural Districts. <br /> • Assisted Economic Development in reviewing and evaluating new <br /> applications for the Ag Economic Development Grant Program; two <br /> members of the APB serve on the grant review committee <br /> • Continued installing new road signs to identify farms enrolled in the <br /> Voluntary Agricultural District programs, as well as to recognize <br /> participating farmers and increase program visibility <br /> • Implemented revisions to the County's Voluntary Farmland Protection <br /> Program Ordinance to conform to recent changes to NC General Statutes, <br /> including removal of the present-use tax value requirement. <br /> • Partnered with Animal Services to develop language to better define <br /> nuisance livestock for the proposed Unified Ordinance <br /> • Promoted the creation of an "Agriculture Investment Grant" program as <br /> one of the projects to be funded by revenue generated by the new one <br /> quarter (1,) cent "Article 46" sales tax enacted in 2012 (5% of the annual <br /> revenue, or approximately $60,000) <br /> • Creation and approval of the Orange County Agricultural Development <br /> and Farmland Protection Plan (2007) <br /> • Preparation of educational materials on Voluntary Agricultural Districts, <br /> right-to-farm law, and other agricultural topics <br /> • Developed list of livestock operations throughout the county for the Animal <br /> Services department <br /> List of Specific Tasks, Events, or Functions Performed or Sponsored <br /> Annually. <br /> The APB is responsible for reviewing and approving applications from farmers <br /> seeking to participate in the VAD/EVAD program, every other month. Also, <br /> assists in the annual Agricultural Summit and helps organize a biennial/triennial <br /> meeting of all agricultural boards to discuss Ag issues. <br /> 2 <br />