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0 4. <br />could figure out how to target what they need and work out an <br />arrangement where someone could use local products as much as possible. <br />A member of the group suggested working with growers to look at their <br />financial planning. including retirement issues. The average of age of our <br />farmers is late fifties, which is not the usual age to consider diversifying <br />operations and taking risks. An economic developer could sit down with <br />the farmer and prepare a financial analysis, look at ways to deal with <br />retirement issues and ways to reorient an existing operation to make a <br />profit. It is critical to keep farmers farming, to pass farms to younger <br />farmers in order to develop a strong local agricultural economy. The <br />county should also consider utilizing a Small Business Loan operation. <br />Stancil noted the importance of developing a resource guide. Recor <br />suggested having an insert in The Agriculture Review that had information <br />about Orange County programs. It would provide quick access to all the <br />people who already receive and participate in farming practices. Reid <br />suggested a county broker working with the website idea for community <br />supported agriculture, where people contract with the farmer for produce. <br />A `share the risk' idea of paying up front to reduce the start up cost was <br />discussed. <br />Reid also reported that the county's initial free guide survey of about 500 <br />local producers provided less than 50 responses. Kleese suggested a <br />buy /sell website where farmers could post items for sale, and buyers could <br />access. Another idea of "getting publicity for supporting local products" <br />included selling ads to go in the resource guide to businesses that sell local <br />products. <br />Agricultural tourism is another avenue of saving farms. An example was <br />given of a farm where people could have picnics and buy on -farm <br />produced products. Processing large amounts of vegetables was noted as a <br />problem for people. The idea of a community processing facility or <br />canning/freezing facility could be another program to work in conjunction <br />with the farmers market. <br />Dave noted that the BOCC is scheduled to receive a report on local <br />markets for agricultural products later this year. Adding a marketing <br />strategy component to the Agricultural Resource Guide, generating <br />awareness of what the market might support and encouraging the <br />production of produce could be incorporated to the report. A draft of the <br />report should be presented at the October APB meeting. <br />