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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAPB Minutes 092017 Attachment 1 Orange County Agricultural Preservation Board Meeting Summary: September 20, 2017 Environmental & Agricultural Center—Conference Room 306 Revere Rd., Hillsborough, NC 7:30 p.m. Members Present: Anderson, Compton, Dawson, Finley, McAdams, McPherson, Ashley Parker, Renee Parker, Redding, Saiers Members Absent: Neville, Ranells, Shambley, Thomas-Ambat, Vanhook Guests: Kim Livingston, Land Conservation Manager, DEAPR; Tyrone Fisher, Extension Director Staff: Gail Hughes, Resource Conservation Coordinator-DEAPR-Orange Soil and Water 1. Call to order: McPherson called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. 2. Chair Comments/Introductions: Members and guests all introduced themselves. 3. Considerations of Additions to Agenda: Hughes asked to add an informational item regarding cost of registering VADs at Register of Deeds; Animal Services will not present tonight. 4. Meeting Summary/Minutes: May 17th, 2017 (Attachment 1): Ashley Parker moved to accept the minutes/summary with the date corrected at top; seconded by Saiers; motion carried. 5. Items for Discussion: a) Remarks from Tyrone Fisher: Mr. Fisher introduced himself as the new Extension Director, and gave a brief overview of his 21 years of service with Extension in other counties, including Northampton, Harnett, Lee, Cumberland, Wake, Franklin and Warren counties. He helped initiate VAD programs in Harnett, Franklin and Warren counties. He is starting to plan for the next Ag Summit, so welcomes any input from members. b) Lands Legacy Program Action Plan Overview: Kim Livingston provided a brief overview of the Lands Legacy Program. She reviewed the current Action Plan document included in the member packet, and asked members to share any comments or input by mid - October. This plan runs for a three-year period, so she is now updating that plan to run through 2020. To date the program has purchased over 1,100 acres in fee simple and 2,200 acres in conservation easements. 6. Items for Decision: a) New VAD/EVAD Applications (Attachment 2): Hughes presented the current applications listed below. All of these farms meet the requirements/criteria for VAD/EVAD enrollment. 2  Crabtree Farm, Inc.: Gary Crabtree and Yvonne Crabtree: 156.51 acres for VAD, Cedar Grove Ag District. The farm is two parcels, in grains and grasses, with some managed woodland. Finley moved to approve, seconded by Dawson; motion carried.  Hall Farm Inc.: Michael Hall and Howard Hall: 156.35 acres for VAD, Caldwell Ag District. The farm is in three parcels, in grains, tobacco, soybeans and hayland. Ashley Parker moved to approve the farm for VAD, seconded by McAdams; motion carried.  Maple Spring Gardens: Kenneth Dawson and Elizabeth Outlaw: 80.04 acres for VAD, Cedar Grove Ag District. The farm is in vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers. McPherson moved to approve the farm for VAD, seconded by Saiers. Hughes reported that this will bring us up to 10,094 acres in VAD, and 2,234 acres in EVAD, for a grand total of 12,328 acres in the program. She will present to the BOCC in December. b) Election of Officers: Hughes explained that it is time to elect new officers. McPherson indicated she is willing to serve one more term. Discussion followed. Dawson moved that McPherson be elected as chair for one additional term, seconded by Finley; motion ca rried. Dawson nominated Redding to serve as vice chair, seconded by Saiers; motion carried. c) Membership: Hughes reported that Gordon Neville wishes to resign from the APB effective with this meeting, which is the end of his first term. There are a couple o f farms in the White Cross District that might provide some potential district members. She will check with those owners to see who might be willing to serve and report back at the next meeting. 7. Informational Items/Future Agenda Items: a) Update on GAP Certification: Ortosky could not be present; deferred to next meeting. b) Update/report back on Food Council public meetings: Dawson provided an informative update on the Food Council’s progress and their two recent public forums, which resulted in the formation of two working groups: Local Food Economy and Food Access. c) Planning for the APB Breakfast for 2017: Hughes reviewed her progress, referring members to the handout with details about food and possible locations: Cedar Grove (free); the Grange ($100); Maple View ($300). Possible dates are Nov. 28 or 30, or in December. There was consensus that Nov. 30 was the best date. She will check on the venues and report back. McPherson and Saiers offered to assist. d) Update on fees charged by Register of Deeds: Hughes reported on the new rule that recording fees must be paid to register our VAD/EVAD agreements, which is a requirement of our ordinance. This could cost $500 or more every six months. The matter is being reviewed by the County Manager and the Register of Deeds now. 8. Adjournment: Compton moved to adjourn; seconded by McAdams; meeting adjourned at 8:52 pm.