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3 <br /> 7) Owners Tracy Lafleur and Robert VanVeld have submitted an application to enroll one (1) <br /> parcel of land totaling 39.94 acres of qualifying farmland for the Voluntary Agricultural District <br /> (VAD) program in the Cedar Grove Agricultural District. The farm operation includes <br /> vegetable crops, hay crops, and bee hives. The farm property has been evaluated against <br /> each of the VAD certification requirement standards and meets or exceeds all of the <br /> measures above. <br /> 8) Owners Stephen and Marsha Scarlett have submitted an application to enroll additional <br /> acres into the VAD program. A revision of ownership on one (1) parcel of land, totaling <br /> 53.94 acres, will increase the acres in the program by 23.27 acres of qualifying farmland for <br /> the Voluntary Agricultural District program in the Cedar Grove Agricultural District. The farm <br /> operation includes livestock, pasture, hay crops, and managed woodland. The farm property <br /> has been evaluated against each of the VAD certification requirement standards and meets <br /> or exceeds all of the measures above. <br /> FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no financial impact associated with this item. Voluntary <br /> Agricultural Districts are non-monetary and non-binding conservation agreements. Enhanced <br /> Voluntary Agriculture Districts are non-monetary and are binding 10-year conservation <br /> agreements. <br /> SOCIAL JUSTICE IMPACT: The following Orange County Social Justice Goal is applicable to <br /> this item: <br /> • GOAL: ENSURE ECONOMIC SELF-SUFFICIENCY <br /> The creation and preservation of infrastructure, policies, programs and funding necessary <br /> for residents to provide shelter, food, clothing and medical care for themselves and their <br /> dependents. <br /> The Orange County Voluntary Agricultural District Program ordinance conserves, protects and <br /> encourages the preservation and improvement of agricultural land within the County boundaries <br /> as a critical component of the County's cultural and rural character and its economy by virtue of <br /> the production of food, fiber and other products. The purpose of this Ordinance is to reduce the <br /> loss of productive and existing farmland by promoting agricultural values and the general <br /> welfare of the County, recognize the existence of important farmlands by seeking to minimize <br /> risks of nuisance suits that arise from the onset of other land uses, encourage participation in <br /> voluntary programs to preserve and protect farmland from non-farm development and increase <br /> identity and awareness of the agricultural community, and its role in the economic and cultural <br /> quality of life for all County residents. (From the Orange County VAD program ordinance) <br /> RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board certify the eight (8) farm <br /> properties noted above totaling 960 acres* (VAD); designate the properties as Voluntary <br /> Agricultural District farms within the Caldwell, Cedar Grove, Schley/Eno, and Cane <br /> Creek/Buckhorn Voluntary Agricultural Districts; and enroll the lands in the Orange County <br /> Farmland Preservation Program Voluntary Agricultural District (VAD) program. <br /> With approval of these additional acres, the Orange County Farmland Preservation program will <br /> have enrolled 109 farms totaling 11,737 acres* in the VAD and 2,566* acres in the EVAD, for a <br /> total of 14,303 acres** (rounded) in the program. <br /> *acres are rounded numbers <br /> **acres have been corrected to reflect accurate acres, adjustments for enrollment changes and ownership changes <br />