Agenda 02-10-2026; 1 - Boards and Commissions – Annual Work Plan Summaries

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DRAFT 13 • In 2025, the APB reviewed and recommended approval for 3 additional farms as Voluntary Agricultural District (VAD) and Enhanced Voluntary Agricultural District (EVAD) farms, adding 110 acres to these programs after being approved by the BOCC. This increased the total enrollment in both programs to 17,689 acres on 158 farms throughout the County (14,892 in VAD and 2,797 in EVAD). • Co-hosted a well-attended public workshop on Conservation Easements and Farm Succession Planning, in partnership with the Soil and Water Conservation District. This followed an initial and highly successful Farm Succession Planning workshop in late 2024 that provided information to help farm owners make plans to prepare for the future of their farm businesses and farmland. • Hosted another successful annual VAD breakfast and educational program, attended by approximately 60 farm owners in addition to staff and speakers. 4. Please list any specific tasks, events, or functions performed or sponsored annually. • Host an annual breakfast for VAD landowners to recognize their efforts to preserve agriculture and to provide them with current educational information through presentations and programs. • Install new road signs to identify farms that are newly enrolled in the Voluntary Agricultural District programs, to recognize participating farmers and increase program visibility; replace existing signs that have been damaged. 5. Describe this board/commission's activities/accomplishments in carrying out the goals identified in the Orange County Strategic pian. • The recommendations contained in the new final draft of the Agricultural Viability and Farmland Stewardship Plan address the county's goals of preserving farmland and enhancing the economic viability of local, sustainable agriculture, supporting the goals of Goal 1: Environmental Protection and Climate Action, Objectives 4 and 7. • The APB's approval of three new farms for enrollment in the Voluntary Agricultural District Program (VAD) provided conservation protection for an additional 110 acres of farmland, including 83 acres now protected by a 10-year conservation agreement through the provisions of the Enhanced Voluntary Agricultural District program, directly supporting the goals of Goal 1, Environmental Protection and Climate Action, Objective 7. 6. Describe any collaboration between this board/commission and other boards and commissions. • The APB continues to take the lead in the long-term project to assist families in enrolling their farms in the state's Century Farm program, a collaborative project with the Historic Preservation Commission, to support the county's comprehensive project to document and make a permanent record of historic farmsteads.