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34 <br /> FINAL DRAFT-5-27-26 <br /> Recommendation 5: Provide farmers with education and resources on transition <br /> planning and farmland conservation. The majority of Orange County <br /> respondents to the 2023 Orange County Farmer and Landowner Survey indicate <br /> a desire to keep their land in farming and an interest in learning about measures <br /> to conserve their farmland (Appendix 1 for summary). However, 7 in 10 lack a <br /> documented transition plan, and very few farms have land in conservation <br /> easements. Priority Actions 5a through 5c provide mechanisms for facilitating <br /> transition planning and conservation of farmland including forestland. <br /> Priority Action 5c provides a mechanism for encouraging conservation and <br /> management of forestland, an important carbon sink (Hurteau, 2021 ). More <br /> than half of the County's 256,000 acres is forested. The more forestland is <br /> preserved, the more the County's potential to sequester carbon in the interest of <br /> mitigating the impacts of climate change. <br /> Priority Action 5d provides a framework for County-facilitated education and <br /> assistance customized to individual farmers' goals and plans. Farmers' <br /> willingness to sell their land varies depending on factors such as financial need <br /> and personal values. Each Orange County farm/farmer is unique with respect to <br /> these factors. Some farmers are unwilling to sell their land for development at <br /> any price. For others, financial considerations can outweigh the desire to keep <br /> their land in farming---particularly in the context of the high land prices in the <br /> County. An understanding of where each farm in the County stands with <br /> respect to stewardship goals and transition planning will help the County to <br /> customize approaches to conserving farmland and to keeping it actively <br /> farmed. Photo 11] <br /> • Priority Action 5a: Offer transition planning education to VAD/EVAD <br /> landowners and farmer-landowners holding Lands Legacy Program <br /> conservation easements. <br /> BENCHMARK/PROGRESS INDICATORS FUNDING/RESOURCES <br /> • Number of farmers/landowners Funding required <br /> taking advantage of transition <br /> planning consulting <br /> • Number of farmers/landowners <br /> with transition plans (a) initiated; <br /> b completed <br /> 32 <br />