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13 <br /> • Co-hosted (with the Extension Service and the Soil and Water Conservation <br /> Service), a well-attended Farm Succession Planning workshop that provided <br /> information and strategies to help farm owners make plans to prepare for the <br /> future of their farm businesses and farmland. <br /> • Hosted another successful annual VAD breakfast and educational program, <br /> attended by approximately 66 farm owners. <br /> • Assisted farm owners with enrollment in the Century Farm Program. <br /> • Continued installing new road signs to identify farms enrolled in the Voluntary <br /> Agricultural District programs, as well as to recognize participating farmers <br /> and increase program visibility. <br /> • Assisted Economic Development in reviewing and evaluating new applications <br /> for the Ag Economic Development Grant Program; three members of the APB <br /> serve on the grant review committee. <br /> List of Specific Tasks, Events, or Functions Performed or Sponsored Annually. <br /> • Reviews and approves applications from farmers seeking to participate in the <br /> VAD/EVAD program, every other month. <br /> • Hosts an annual breakfast for VAD landowners to recognize their efforts to preserve <br /> agriculture and to provide them with current educational information through <br /> presentations and programs. <br /> Describe this board/commission's activities/accomplishments in carrying out BOCC <br /> goal(s)/priorities, if applicable. <br /> • The APB promotes, reviews and recommends new Voluntary Agricultural Districts <br /> and Enhanced Voluntary Agricultural Districts that help protect farmland (Comp <br /> Plan, Natural and Cultural Systems Goal 2). <br /> • The Board oversees the creation implementation of a long-term plan for agricultural <br /> development and farmland protection; a new draft update of this plan was completed <br /> in 2024. (Goal 2, Goal 5). <br /> • The APB makes recommendations on goals and objectives for the triennial <br /> Lands Legacy Action Plan (Goal 8). <br /> Identify any activities this board/commission expects to carry out in 2025 as they <br /> relate to established BOCC goals and priorities. If applicable, is there a fiscal impact <br /> (i.e., funding, staff time, other resources) associated with these proposed activities. <br /> • Complete the APB's major project to update the County's existing Agricultural <br /> Development and Farmland Protection Plan, last produced in 2009; the new <br /> plan, Agricultural Viability and Farmland Stewardship Plan for Orange County, is <br /> envisioned as a "living" document, to be updated and revised on a regular basis. <br /> • Provide input for the current Land Use Plan 2050 update process; communicate <br /> with the BOCC and the Planning Department staff to ensure that farm viability <br /> and farmland protection/preservation are fully represented in the final vision plan. <br /> • Develop new educational efforts to help inform residents about the importance of <br /> 2 <br />