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Approved 12/12/16 OC Board of Adjustment – 10/10/16 Page 66 of 113 and at the same time agritourism introduces visitors to the whole idea of farming. Agritourism gives new 1 people an opportunity to experience farming, to understand the importance of rural land and open space, 2 and also get introduced to why we would preserve rural land in the first place. So agritourism is actually a 3 really important key in creating a viable, local farm sector and future. 4 5 Andy Petesch: And did you review the Orange County Agriculture and Farm Protection plan? 6 7 Erin White: Agricultural Development and Farm Protection Plan? 8 9 Andy Petesch: Yes. 10 11 Erin White: I did. 12 13 Andy Petesch: Ok and what are some of the principles in that plan? 14 15 Erin White: Well they talk about a lot of the threats to farming that I just discussed. A number of the ideas 16 presented in that plan, which was developed in 2009, are also represented in the comprehensive plans to 17 agriculture section. 18 19 Andy Petesch: So this is a copy of the Orange County Agricultural Development and Farm Protection Plan. 20 21 Erin White: And this plan lays out a number of areas where Orange County Agriculture can be developed. 22 Specific sets of actions that will support agricultural development into the future of Orange County. In 23 particular for this project Orange County has decided that it needs to attract and train new farmers and new 24 farming operations, adopting a more proactive approach for attracting these new farmers. Orange County 25 has decided that it needs to foster greater recognition and public support for agriculture. And again, 26 agritourism is an excellent way to Foster this greater appreciation. 27 28 Andy Petesch: and are you referencing excerpts in our tab 6 of the notebook? 29 30 Erin White: Yes, I'm sorry. And it talks about a lot of things but one of the final things that I want to mention 31 is that it also points out the need to develop stronger connections between schools and local farms. Getting 32 kids, getting youth onto farms is actually a way to establish good eating habits, it's a way to build physical 33 activity, it can change behavior patterns in school, and by having educational activities on the farm I think 34 that's an opportunity to start doing that here. 35 36 Andy Petesch: And finally, can you discuss your analysis of the Brewer farm plan? 37 38 Erin White: Yes. I think it's a plan that still getting worked out. This is typical of new farmers. I think that's 39 why we have so many workshops and training opportunities for Farms including incubator farm sites such 40 as the one here in Orange County. And looking at the plan I think that it is a thoughtful approach towards 41 building a diversified cash flow that looks at short-term opportunities through agritourism. Understanding 42 the flowers hopefully come in the next couple years in a meaningful way and then really looking longer-term 43 at these chestnuts. And the idea that investing all this time and money and chestnuts as a single operation 44 for a farm would require a really massive capital to wait out a period of time before you go to return. And so 45 to me diversifying this inaudible flow makes a lot of sense. I also recognize in talking to them that there's 46 still a lot of things to work out and in my work I haven't met, certainly a young farmer, many farmers at all 47 that honestly feel like they have everything worked out. I think farming in general is honestly a lot about 48 design. It's a lot about solving problems as they come up. Markets change, technologies change, farmers 49