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3 <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 welfare <br /> of the County, recognize the existence of important farmlands by seeking to minimize risks of <br /> nuisance suits that arise from the onset of other land uses, encourage participation in voluntary <br /> programs to preserve and protect farmland from non-farm development and increase identity and <br /> awareness of the agricultural community, and its role in the economic and cultural quality of life <br /> for all County residents (from the Orange County Farmland Preservation/VAD program <br /> ordinance). <br /> ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT: There is no Orange County Environmental Responsibility Goal <br /> impact associated with this item. <br /> RECOMMENDATION(S): The Manager recommends that the Board: <br /> 1) certify the five (5) farm properties noted above totaling 262.43 acres; <br /> 2) designate the MacAller/Lahlou farm and the Saiers/Knapp - RambleRill Farm as an <br /> Enhanced Voluntary Agricultural District within the White Cross and New Hope Agricultural <br /> District Regions; <br /> 3) designate the Roberts, Pope, and Crabtree farms as Voluntary Agricultural District farms <br /> within the Eno/Schley and Cedar Grove Agricultural District Regions; and <br /> 4) enroll the lands in the Orange County Farmland Preservation Program's Enhanced <br /> Voluntary Agricultural District (EVAD) or Voluntary Agricultural District (VAD) program as <br /> designated. <br /> With approval of these farms, the Orange County Farmland Preservation program will have <br /> enrolled 151 farms, totaling 14,719 acres in the VAD and 2,714 acres in the EVAD for a total of <br /> 17,433 acres in the program. <br />