Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
ORANGE COUNTY <br />BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS <br />ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT <br />Meeting Date: September 16, 2008 <br />Action Agen a <br />Item No. <br />SUBJECT: WC Breeze Family Farm Agricultural Extension & Research Center <br />Memorandum of Agreement <br />DEPARTMENT: Cooperative Extension PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No <br />Economic Development <br />ATTACHMENT(S): <br />Memorandum of Agreement <br />Concept Plan & Timeline <br />Master Plan <br />INFORMATION CONTACT: <br />Dr. Fletcher Barber, Jr., 245-2050 <br />Brad Broadwell, 245-2325 <br />Noah Ranells, 245-2330 <br />PURPOSE: To consider a Memorandum of Agreement between Orange County and NC State <br />University College of Agriculture and Life Science for program development and associated <br />activities at the WC Breeze Family Farm Extension and Research Center in Hurdle Mills, <br />Orange County. <br />BACKGROUND: A longtime farm family patriarch, Colonel William Breeze, and his family <br />donated land to NC State University with a desire to see the land used to explore local options <br />for organic and sustainable farming practices and enterprises. Following a 2006 dedication of <br />the W.C. Breeze Family Farm Agricultural Extension & Research Facility by the Dean of the <br />College of Agriculture & Life Science (GALS), a County committee developed a concept plan for <br />the property. In October 2006, GALS administrators for extension and research met with <br />County representatives in Hillsborough to review the plan. <br />Based upon that meeting, a joint Orange County-GALS committee was formed to develop the <br />conceptual plan. Early in 2007, two farm walkabout events were scheduled to allow NCSU- <br />CALS Extension Specialists and other interested parties to assess the farm for the program <br />needs in the context of the conceptual plan. Based on the input from local farmers, <br />governmental agencies, non-profit organizations, and the extension specialists, a draft Master <br />Plan was developed in September 2007. <br />Orange County Cooperative Extension and Economic Development have been collaborating to <br />initiate programming and activities at the Breeze Farm. Most notably are the PLANT @ Breeze <br />farm enterprise incubator that began in early 2008 and the related off-site development of the <br />Piedmont Value Added Shared Use Food & Agricultural Processing Center in Hillsborough. <br />