HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda - 01-19-1999 - 9cORANGE COUNTY
BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT
Meeting Date: January 19, 1999
Subject: Proposed Plan for Orange County Agricultural Summit
Department: County Commissioners
Cooperative Extension Service
Attachment(s):
None
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Action Agenda
Item #-_q,- C
Public Hearing: Yes _X_ No
Budget Amendment Required: Yes X No
Information Contact:
Commissioner Barry Jacobs, 732 -4941
Fletcher Barber, Jr., CED, 732 -8181, ext. 2051
Telephone Numbers:
Hillsborough 732 -8181
Durham
688 -7331
Mebane
(336) 227 -2031
Chapel Hill
967 -9251
Purpose: Status on planning for Orange County Agricultural Summit
Background: Under the directions of the Orange County Cooperative Extension Director a preliminary
meeting was held with interested parties to discuss the Orange County Agricultural Summit.
Tentative agenda would consist of an Agriculture Panel made up of individuals, both from
within as well as outside the county, who have been involved in alternative agricultural
practices. Commodity groups will also be invited to set up displays and be available to answer
questions as they related to various agricultural enterprises.
The Orange County Agricultural Summit is tentatively scheduled to be held during the last of
February or no later than mid -March 1999. The summit will be held during the day with a
tentative time of between 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with a lunch. The location could possibly be in one
of the community buildings located in the northern part of the county. The location would
hopefully be convenient to the local farmers that are being targeted as our primary audience
The following organizations, agencies, and groups that have been contacted to tentatively serve
on the planning committee are: Hillsborough and Chapel Hill- Canboro Chambers of
Commerce, Economic Development Commission, Soil and Water Conservation Service, Farm
Service Agency, Agricultural Districts Advisory Board, representatives from the Chapel Hill
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and Hillsborough Town Councils, farmer representative, and the Cooperative Extension
Service.
Advertisement for this event will be by mass media that will consist of local and area
newspapers and radio, direct mailings, posters and flyers.
A planning meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 12, 1999. At this meeting, specific
details will be outlined for the Agricultural Summit. At the commissioners' meeting on January
19 'h, the proposed agenda and activities will be presented to the board for their endorsement.
Recommendation: The manager recommends that the Board receive the Orange County Agricultural
Summit update as information, and endorse the date, location and agenda for the
summit.
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PROPOSAL FOR AGRICULTURAL SUMNUT :
(By Agricultural Summit Committee at January 12th meeting)
Proposed dates:
(1st) March 4
(2nd) February 25
Proposed Time: from 10:00am - 2:00pm
Proposed Location: Schley Grange Hall, Hwy 57 North
Estimated Budget: $1,600.00
Main Audience: Orange County Farmers
Possible Presentations at Summit:
- Brief overview of current agricultural situation in Orange County.
- Brief update on current status of tobacco settlement and program
- Presentations by traditional agricultural producers who have diversified their operations.
Might include greenhouse and nursery production, strawberry plasticulture, organic tobacco,
organic vegetable, turfgrass production and livestock intensive grazing, etc.
- Overview of land use valuation by tax assessor's office.
- Information booths set up by various commodity and grower associations, resource agencies
and agribusiness such as Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, NC Grape Growers, NC
Herb Growers, Farmland preservation experts, Soil Conservation Service, Farm Services
Agency, Agricultural Resources Center, others.
- Farmer survey to ascertain interest in Rural Ed. Center
Other Educational Meetings:
The planning committee also recommended continuing the educational efforts through a
series of seminars at later times throughout the year. These seminars would be selected
items of interest to traditional farmers, small farmers, and landowners and might include
topics such as farmland preservation, agricultural use taxes, conservation easement/estate
planning, farm record keeping, environmental regulations affecting farmers, farm
diversification, direct marketing, and ag- tourism.
Agricultural Summit Committee:
Joel Harper — Chapel Hill - Carrboro Chamber of Commerce
Karen Gilmore (Alternate) — Chapel Hill- Carrboro Chamber of Commerce
2. Craig Lloyd — Hillsborough Chamber of Commerce
Jim Dooley — President, Hillsborough Chamber of Commerce
3. Randy Yarborough — (FSC) Farm Service Agency
4. Brent Bogue — (NRCS) Natural Resource Conservation Service
Gail Hughes, Orange Soil & Water Conservation District
5. Joyce Brown — Chapel Hill Town Council
6. Dolly Hunter — Agricultural District Advisory Board
Trudy Matheny -- Chair, Agricultural District Advisory Board
7. Margaret Cannell — Economic Development Commission
Jim Gibson — Chair, Economic Development Commission
8. David Stancil — (ERCD) Dept. of Environment & Resource Conservation
Don Belk -- (ERCD) Dept. of Environment & Resource Conservation
9. Louise Tate — Farmer Representative & Agricultural Representative on
"Shaping Orange County's Future" Committee