Agenda 12-14-21; 8-a - Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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7 1 He said the Board of Commissioners (BOCC) can assist in creating a scorecard to hold partners 2 accountable. He said measurements should be made in access to food in the most efficient 3 way, coming from the food economy around us. He said he wanted the Board of 4 Commissioners to challenge partners. 5 Mike Ortosky thanked James Watts for his comments and introduced Eric Hallman from 6 the Piedmont Food Processing Center (PFPC). 7 Eric Hallman acknowledged Veterans Day and thanked all veterans for their service. 8 Eric Hallman said Orange County's leadership is needed in the area of food systems 9 and making it a priority. He said Orange County is the envy of all its neighbors and is a leader 10 in the local food economy, but others are catching on. He said Weaver Street is the largest co- 11 operative grocery store in the southeast. He said there is more to be done and the BOCC 12 needs to lead. 13 Eric Hallman said the Piedmont Food Processing Center is a co-working space for food 14 companies. He said it gives companies the opportunity to start working without large capital 15 investment. He said David Stancil, Department of Environment, Agriculture, Parks and 16 Recreation (DEAPR) Director, had the vision to get the center started. He said the initial group 17 put together several grants to pay for the center. He said the center is self-sustaining and does 18 not get funding from Orange County. He said there are currently 65 companies at PFPC, and 19 75% of businesses that started with the center are still in business. He said PFPC is a huge 20 success, and he is looking to the county for more leadership to keep moving forward in this 21 opportunity to remain as a leader in this space. 22 Mike Ortosky introduced Sue Ellsworth, founder of the WE Power Food. 23 Sue Ellsworth said WE Power focuses on the specific needs of women food 24 entrepreneurs, and is lead by women, for women. She said WE Power members include a 25 variety of members, and problem solves to build a system to support its members. She said the 26 environment is a judgment free space that empowers its members to grow. She said that WE 27 Power is a statewide organization that connects through social media and also has a monthly 28 meeting with guest speakers. She said in 2021, WE Power made its debut at the Food 29 Incubation Summit, the largest network of kitchen incubators and networks in the world. She 30 said WE Power is poised to be a leader in this area and hopes to grow to a national 31 organization. 32 Commissioner Greene asked if the genesis of this group could be shared, and why 33 women are the focus. 34 Sue Ellsworth said she has been at PFPC for several years, and noticed that there were 35 many female owned companies that seemed to disappear and she wondered what happened. 36 She said she heard many reasons that women were closing their businesses, even successful 37 ones. She said family obligations and funding were two main issues. She said she started 38 round table discussions, and really listened to the needs, which lead to the creation of WE 39 Power. 40 Mike Ortosky introduced Mart Bumgartner from the Orange County Extension. 41 Mart Bumgartner described the purpose of the NC Extension. He said it provides 42 information to help people. He said he is the crops and horticulture agent, working with famers 43 and homeowners, and is responsible for the Master Gardner program. He said the Master 44 Gardner program won an international award for the stormwater runoff garden between the 45 courthouse and farmer's market in Hillsborough. He said is also the Orange County pesticide 46 coordinator, and holds mandatory on going education training for farmers. He said some were 47 done over Zoom during the pandemic, and an in-person training was held in September 2021. 48 He said the pandemic has changed the landscape for farmers and many have been creative to 49 stay afloat using CSAs and online orders. 50 Mart Bumgartner said the pandemic forced suppliers to develop new ways to meet 51 customers. He said in 2020, Cooperative Extension used $26,000 to purchase products from