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M. <br />What are your Board /Commission's most important accomplishments? <br />• Hosted the second "annual" breakfast program /informational workshop for <br />existing and prospective VAD /EVAD farm owners to encourage new <br />participants and answer questions; 68 people attended this at the Cedar <br />Grove Community Center. <br />• In 2017, reviewed and recommended approval for 15 additional farms as <br />Voluntary Agricultural District and Enhanced Voluntary Agricultural District <br />farms, adding 1,179 acres to these programs. This amount increased the <br />total enrollment into both programs to 12,554 acres on 93 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 (Y4) 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 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 />Describe this board /commission's activities /accomplishments in carrying out <br />BOCC goal(s) /priorities, if applicable. <br />The APB promotes, reviews and recommends new Voluntary Agricultural <br />Districts and Enhanced Voluntary Agricultural Districts that help protect farmland <br />(Comp Plan, Natural and Cultural Systems Goal 2). <br />The Board oversaw the creation of a long -term plan for agricultural development <br />