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ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: October 3, 2000 <br />Action Agenda <br />Item No. _ g--~ <br />SUBJECT: Grant Application for Tobac~ Settlement Funds (Golden LEAF Foundation) <br />DEPARTMENT: BOCC, CES, EDC, ERCD PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />Grant program information <br />Resolution from Agricultural Preservation <br />Board <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Barry Jacobs, 732941 <br />TELEPHONE NUMBERS: <br />Hillsborough 732-8181 <br />Chapel Hill 968-4501 <br />Durham 688-7331 <br />Mebane 336-227-2031 <br />PURPOSE: To authorize staff to submit a grant application to the Golden LEAF Foundation for <br />funds to assist Orange County agriculture (the deadline for submittals is October 16, 2000). <br />BACKGROUND: The Golden LEAF Foundation was established by the State of North Carolina <br />in 1999 to distribute some of the State's funds received from the legal settlement of North <br />Carolina v. Phillip Morris Incorporated, et al. The Foundation provides economic impact <br />assistance to economically affected ortobacco-dependent areas of North Carolina. <br />Tobacco has been a staple of Orange County's agricultural economy for more than a century, <br />with over $5.4 million in gross sales last year. In each of the last two years, the County hosted <br />agricultural summits that included presentations to encourage tobacco farmers to move to <br />alternative farms of value-added products. Over the past two months, Commissioner Jacobs <br />(liaison to the Economic Development Commission and Agricultural Preservation Board) has <br />met with Cooperative Extension Director Fletcher Barber, EDC Director Dianne Reid and ERC <br />Director David Stancil to look at the potential for an application to this Foundation. After <br />discussing alternative projects and the Foundation's funding interests, the group proposes <br />advancing a submittal that would establish a pilot program to spur development of a local <br />agricultural economy in an urbanizing county by providing funds to enhance the Hillsborough <br />farmer's market; providing funds far an agricultural economic development specialist to work <br />with farmers in identifying crops and developing business plans for their operations; and <br />providing a broker between producers and local institutions (UNC, school districts, Child Care <br />Services) to stimulate alocally-based agricultural economy. At a joint meeting on September <br />27, the EDC and Agricultural Preservation Board (APB) expressed support for this grant <br />application (a resolution passed by the APB is attached). Grant awards will be announced in <br />December. <br />