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31 <br /> FINAL DRAFT-5-27-26 <br /> • Priority Action le: Communicate farmland conversion trends, County <br /> agricultural census results, and economic data in the biennially updated <br /> Agricultural Viability and Farmland Stewardship Plan and on a County <br /> agriculture web page/website. <br /> BENCHMARK/PROGRESS INDICATORS FUNDING/RESOURCES <br /> • County agriculture website or web County staff including new proposed <br /> page published Ag Viability and Farmland <br /> • Website updated monthly Stewardship position <br /> • County agriculture presence on <br /> social media sites established <br /> • Number of followers on social <br /> media <br /> Recommendation 2: Elevate the importance of protecting prime farmland in <br /> land use planning, regulations, and policy. Priority Actions 2b and 2c provide for <br /> development of policy, guidelines, and regulations that can help mitigate <br /> farmland loss and preserve the County's most productive land for agriculture. <br /> Prime farmland can be designated as high priority for protection based on soil <br /> type and slope determined from soil map units in the Orange County Soil Survey <br /> (which may be further verified by field determination) as described in Appendix <br /> 2. The Prioritization Method of Priority Action 2b (Appendix 2), used in <br /> conjunction with Lands Legacy Program prioritization criteria when appropriate, <br /> can help the County to identify the land best suited for continued agricultural <br /> use, prioritize farms for conservation and other programs, and target farmland <br /> stewardship efforts for best results. Ample precedents and examples from other <br /> locales are available for modeling agriculture-supportive policy and regulatory <br /> modifications (California Council of Land Trusts, 2014; CALAFCO, 2018; New <br /> England Access Policy Project, 2016) (Appendix 3). <br /> • Priority Action 2a: On the Planning Board, include an Agricultural Preservation <br /> Board member. On the Agricultural Preservation Board, include a Planning <br /> Board member. <br /> BENCHMARK/PROGRESS INDICATORS FUNDING/RESOURCES <br /> Establishment of permanent seats on No funding required <br /> the APB by a Planning Board member <br /> and on the Planning Board by an APB <br /> member <br /> • Priority Action 2b: Draft and propose a Prioritization Method to identify and <br /> target prime farmland for conservation to be used in conjunction with Lands <br /> Legacy Program prioritization criteria when appropriate. Draft <br /> 29 <br />