Orange County NC Website
activity, it can change behavior patterns in school, and by having educational activities on the farm I think 1 <br />that's an opportunity to start doing that here. 2 <br /> 3 <br />Andy Petesch: And finally, can you discuss your analysis of the Brewer farm plan? 4 <br /> 5 <br />Erin White: Yes. I think it's a plan that still getting worked out. This is typical of new farmers. I think that's 6 <br />why we have so many workshops and training opportunities for Farms including incubator farm sites such 7 <br />as the one here in Orange County. And looking at the plan I think that it is a thoughtful approach towards 8 <br />building a diversified cash flow that looks at short-term opportunities through agritourism. Understanding 9 <br />the flowers hopefully come in the next couple years in a meaningful way and then really looking longer-term 10 <br />at these chestnuts. And the idea that investing all this time and money and chestnuts as a single operation 11 <br />for a farm would require a really massive capital to wait out a period of time before you go to return. And so 12 <br />to me diversifying this inaudible flow makes a lot of sense. I also recognize in talking to them that there's 13 <br />still a lot of things to work out and in my work I haven't met, certainly a young farmer, many farmers at all 14 <br />that honestly feel like they have everything worked out. I think farming in general is honestly a lot about 15 <br />design. It's a lot about solving problems as they come up. Markets change, technologies change, farmers 16 <br />are always learning. And this farm plan, to me, looks like something that is getting closer and I think as far 17 <br />as a new farmer goes it seems like it's at an appropriate state of development. And in addition to that, I kind 18 <br />of touched on it already but I think that this farm plan in particular supports many of the objectives of 19 <br />Orange County's comprehensive plan and many of the objectives in Orange County's agricultural 20 <br />development and farmland preservation plan. 21 <br /> 22 <br />Andy Petesch: Could you describe or summarize some of the purposes behind the agritourism policy for 23 <br />encouraging Farmers to participate in agritourism. What benefits does that provide? 24 <br /> 25 <br />LeAnne Brown: Objection. Whose policies? Are you asking his opinion about agritourism, are you asking 26 <br />him about policies adopted by others? I'm not sure what you're asking. 27 <br /> 28 <br />Andy Petesch: Has the state adopted a policy to encourage agritourism that you are aware of? 29 <br /> 30 <br />Erin White: Absolutely. I think it was added to their definition of farming and there's a General Statute 31 <br />specific to agritourism that defines it and makes it an acceptable practice for a bona fide Farm 32 <br /> 33 <br />Andy Petesch: And why would that be a policy that the state would want to endorse? 34 <br /> 35 <br />Erin White: I think that our agricultural system is facing a lot of challenges and agritourism presents a lot of 36 <br />opportunities to stabilize and strengthen agricultural sector. 37 <br /> 38 <br />Andy Petesch: And with respect to the role of the barn on the farm could you discuss that? Because you 39 <br />analyze that from a design standpoint. 40 <br /> 41 <br />Erin White: My first response to the barn was that it’s just big, open flexible space. I think that that's a really 42 <br />important attribute for any agricultural operation and an open building is inherently more flexible than one 43 <br />that starts to get built out with more detail. And I think, that through the seasons as they learn more about 44 <br />the farming operations and the volume that push and pull on their space having, that open space will be an 45 <br />important attribute. 46 <br /> 47 <br />70