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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAPB Meeting Summary 01172024 Orange County Agricultural Preservation Board Approved Meeting Summary: January 17t", 2024 ***Bonnie Davis Center*** 6:30 p.m. Members Present: Compton, Hooten, McAdams, McPherson, Myers, Saiers, Sykes, Wagger, Woods Members Absent: Hughes, Taylor Guests: Chris Hirni, Land Conservation Manager, DEAPR Staff: Jessica Perrin, Resource Conservation Coordinator-Orange Soil and Water; Peter Sandbeck, Cultural Resource Coordinator; Mike Ortosky, Community and Rural Development Agent 1. Call to order: Acting Chair McAdams called the meeting to order at 6:34 p.m. 2. Chair Comments/Introductions: None 3. Considerations of Additions to Agenda: Sandbeck shared the news about Perrin's promotion to become the Manager of the Orange Water and Soil District Manager. Sykes asked the group to consider ways that the members and staff can help get the word out about the VAD program. He runs into property owners who don't know about the program and wants to make sure we are doing the most we can. Perhaps there is a way to share the VAD brochure with PUV mailings. This is something the farmland protection subcommittee could work on. Perrin will share the current version with members for feedback/suggestions. 4. Meeting Summary/Minutes: Compton moved to approve the minutes for the September 201h meeting, seconded by McPherson; motion carried. S. Items for Decision: a) New VAD/EVAD Applications: Perrin presented two farms that meet the requirements and criteria for VAD/EVAD enrollment. Both have completed conservation plans. If the APB recommends these applications, they will be added to the consent agenda for the BOCC meeting on February 61n a. Andy and Debra Gates: 47.2 acres for VAD, in the Caldwell Ag District. Two parcels in corn, wheat, and soybeans, and managed forest land; the forestry plan is pending. Myers moved to approve the Gates application, contingent upon the completion of the forestry plan; seconded by Sykes; motion carried. b. Lee Miller and Emily Sloss: 20.26 acres for VAD, in the High Rock/Efland District. Two parcels that include pasture for sheep and honey production. Compton moved to approve the Miller/Sloss application, seconded by Woods; motion carried. 2 b) Approval of 2024 Meeting Calendar: Members reviewed proposed draft calendar. Woods moved to approve the draft as presented, seconded by Hooten; motion carried. 6. Discussion Items: a) Lands Legacy Action Plan update presentation: Chris Hirni provided an overview of the Lands Legacy Program and the process for updating the plan every three years. This past plan cycle was interrupted by Covid, so the 2017/18 update of the older plan was never completed. He's updating that plan to carry the program through 2027. Hirni presented a PowerPoint program outlining the program goals. The purpose of the plan is to establish priorities for the program, with input from the APB. The County's goal is to obtain approximately a 50% match for County funds. In 2017, the APB recommended the following goals for the 2018-20 Action Plan: continue working with farms interested in protecting prime/active farmland with permanent agricultural easements; and: pursue state and federal grant funds to match County funds available for easement purchase. Lands Legacy funds are primarily intended to be used for park/preserve protection and expansion but can be used for conservation easements as well. This plan will feed into the County's pending new Land Use Plan. There is not a set budget for the fund, so it varies depending on allocations and expenditures. On average, the program receives from $125k to $250k per year. There is about $2.1 million in the conservation easement fund and about $1.4 million in the Lands Legacy fund; this carries over from year to year. It's difficult to get landowners to agree on appraised valuations generated at the outset of the project—that are outdated by the time all funding is obtained from outside grants—this takes 1-2 years. This is a problem with property values are rising so quickly. Discussion followed. It appears that the program will require a significant increase in County funding in order to remain effective in the current market. Hirni will include language to help emphasize these issues: focus more on prime active farmland; identify areas of high development pressure and ag loss as per the work of the farmland protection subcommittee; and address current funding disparities. b) Annual Report and Work Plan: review of draft: Staff asked members to look this over and share any comments/suggestions/edits and get their input back by the end of the day on January 191n. The APB will make our report to the BOCC on Feb. 15tn c) VAD Report/update: Perrin reported on the results of the annual breakfast, with around 80 attendees plus staff. She would welcome any feedback about the program, food etc. Total cost was $1,917, generously covered by the Farm Bureau. One idea is to have VAD farmers invite any friends who might be potentially interested in enrolling their farms to attend. Perrin will be on parental leave for twelve weeks starting in early March. d) Farmland Preservation Subcommittee: Saiers provided a brief update. The farmer/landowner survey yielded about 92 responses. She's organizing the data and will be sharing with the subcommittee members next week. e) Membership: We have one vacant district position in the Schley/Eno district. With the retirement of McKnight, we now have a vacancy in the White Cross district. Staff shared a list of eligible VAD farm owners within those districts and asked members to provide 3 feedback or suggestions about potential candidates. Staff will reach out to make contacts. We also have four at-large vacancies. Members discussed the current applications that are on file. There was a consensus on two of the applicants. Myers moved to recommend Ranells and Palmer for two of these four vacancies, seconded by Compton; motion approved. Staff will prepare the paperwork for the County Clerk. 7. Informational Items/Future Agenda Items: a. Extension and Ag Economic Development Activities: Ortosky provided a brief overview. He urged members to attend the Ag Summit on February 19th. The ag grant program receives about $150k per year and made 12 awards last year. At the upcoming meeting, the grant committee will approve the remaining $55k left in this year's budget. He recently learned more about one aspect of bona fide farm requirements. If someone is leasing the land, say to raise cattle, the income from that use of that leased land, can be applied toward the income threshold for a bona fide farm. b. County Comp Plan update process: Staff shared the current updates about the project. Some APB members attended the community input session held here in November. Ortosky noted that our relationship with Planning is very productive right now, so this is an excellent time for us to provide as much input as we can. 8. Time for Information Sharing: None in the interest of time. 9. Adjournment: Chair McAdams adjourned the meeting at 8:07 pm.