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Approved 12/12/16 OC Board of Adjustment – 10/10/16 Page 82 of 113 Orange County has pretty high priority stated through planning documents, the comprehensive plan, and 1 the agriculture economic plan. High priority on agriculture as a sector. Common challenges to agriculture 2 include age land use patterns especially those residential developments a cultural shift away from farming 3 so in order to replace Farmers that are aging out we don't have younger and new farmers moving in. A 4 globalized food system is creating a really difficult and competitive situation for local and small farms. They 5 can't just compete on price. They have to come up with other activities to help them compete. To explore 6 the role of agritourism and the importance of agritourism to meet these challenges. And then classifying the 7 Brewers’ project as a farm; reviewing the farm business plan summary, conducting a site visit, meeting with 8 the Brewers, and really finding that in fact it is a farm. There is agriculture activity in the ground, the plan is 9 consistent with food production, with commercial horticulture, and the fact that they've met the regulatory 10 requirements by 3 different regulatory bodies are to become a bona fide Farm. It seems to me that, in fact, 11 yes they are farm. And then looking at each of 15 activities that are proposed both in the farm plan 12 summary in the building permit application and in the bona fide farm exemption affidavit. 15 different 13 activities that are proposed for the site examining, all of them through the definition of agriculture, and that's 14 using General Statutes, and sub to that the definition of agritourism also in the general statute. And really 15 looking at them carefully found that each of them actually fit the definition of agritourism and agriculture. 16 And both the definitions per se and the commonly understood activities of agritourism certainly include 17 these activities so the report concludes with my own opinion based on my experience and training and 18 education after reviewing the relevant material that in fact the Brewer project is a farm. That all of the 19 proposed activities meet the definition of agriculture and agritourism and that in addition to that the project 20 clearly aligns with the planning priorities of Orange County around agriculture. 21 22 Barry Katz: So the thrust of you argument is that this is a farm, correct? And that the Brewers’ are the 23 farmers? 24 25 Erin White: That’s not the thrust of the argument but the project is a farm; yes. And the Brewers’ as the 26 owners and operators, I guess you would say would be the farmers. 27 28 Barry Katz: Have you ever run a farm. Either of you? 29 30 Chris Brewer: No, sir. 31 32 Barry Katz: Have you ever run a business? 33 34 Chris Brewer: Yes, sir. 35 36 Barry Katz: What kind of business? 37 38 Chris Brewer: Multiple businesses. We have a rental property business. We have 2 different retail 39 businesses on Franklin Street we are 50% owners of. We also had a real estate property investment 40 business. 41 42 Barry Katz: Ok. So you’ve run businesses but you’re really not farmers but now your farmers because you 43 own this place. Ok. 44 45 Karen Barrows: Is that all you have Andy? 46 47 Andy Petesch: Yes, thank you very much. 48 49