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November 17, 2010 Minutes 1 <br />AGRICULTURAL PRESERVATION BOARD - MINUTES <br />November 17, 2010 <br /> <br />MEMBERS PRESENT: Elizabeth Walters, Spence Dickinson, Allan Green, James and Patricia Wynn, Patrick <br />McGarry and Joe Thompson. <br /> <br />MEMBERS ABSENT/EXCUSED: Roland Walters, Howard McAdams and Louise Tate. <br /> <br />GUESTS: Bernadette Pelissier, Board of County Commissioners <br /> David Heeks and Andrew Branan <br /> <br />STAFF: Rich Shaw and Tina Moon, Natural and Cultural Division <br /> Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks and Recreation <br /> Noah Ranells, Economic Development <br /> <br />ITEM #1: CALL TO ORDER <br />Chair Emeritus Elizabeth Walters called the meeting to order at 7:07 p.m., as both chair and vice chair were <br />absent. <br /> <br />ITEM #2: CHAIR COMMENTS (none) <br /> <br />ITEM #3: CONSIDERATION OF ADDITIONS TO AGENDA (none) <br /> <br />ITEM #4: APPROVAL OF MINUTES October 20, 2010 <br />The minutes were approved by unanimous vote. <br /> <br />ITEM #5: ITEMS FOR DECISION <br />None. <br /> <br />ITEM #6: ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION <br />a. Interest and Opportunities to Lease Farms <br />Moon offered a brief introduction of the topic, the speakers (David Heeks and Rich Shaw) and the guests <br />(Andrew Branan and Noah Ranells). The APB has often discussed the importance of keeping agricultural <br />lands in production. The County’s Lands Legacy Program has become a successful land conservation <br />program that keeps agricultural land out of development. Conservation easements are typically designed to <br />take a right away, (such as the right to develop), not to require a land use or activity to occur, (such as <br />keeping the land under cultivation). APB members, particularly Dickinson, have often asked if there is way <br />to require conservation lands to remain in operation. Is there a way to encourage more property owners to <br />lease their some/all of the their agricultural lands to another farmer to tend? The second part of the <br />equation is finding the farmer who wants to farm but doesn’t have any or enough land. Andrew Branan, and <br />Noah Ranells have both participated in efforts to bring these two groups together--landowners who for <br />whatever reason do not want to farm themselves and farmers who want to farm but do not own or have <br />access to land—through land link programs and model lease documents--but with mixed success. <br /> <br /> 1. David Heeks <br />David Heeks participated in a panel discussion on this topic at the Triangle Land Conservancy’s Conservation <br />Summit. Staff thought that Heeks’ presentation offered a new perspective on the issue and invited him to <br />the APB’s November meeting to share his thoughts with the board. Heeks explained his interest in pursuing <br />a lifetime lease (99 years) for farmland. He attended the PLANT program at the Breeze Farm to gain <br />training, but realized that he needed a site to continue farming once the program was over. He developed a <br />prospectus describing his interests and experience and distributed it to local farmers. Heeks eventually <br />pursued a partnership with the Triangle Land Conservancy to lease some of its conservation land. <br /> <br />Heeks offered some points that he feels would help this area provide better opportunities for farmers (up <br />and coming & existing) as well as improve local food options for consumers.