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<br />Farmland Preservation Trust Fund monies, with preference to counties adopting a <br />countywide farmland protection plan.4 The Act declares that a countywide farmland <br />protection plan shall: <br /> <br />1, Contain a list and description of existing agricultural activity in the county. <br />2. Contain a list of existing challenges to continued family farming in the county. <br />3, Contain a list of opportunities for maintaining or enhancing small, family-owned <br />farms and the local agricultural economy. <br />4. Describe how the county plans to maintain a viable agricultural community and <br />shall address farmland preservation tools, such as agricultural economic <br />development, including farm diversification and marketing assistance; other kinds <br />of agricultural technical assistance, such as farm infrastructure financing, farmland <br />purchasing, linking with younger farmers, and estate planning; the desirability and <br />feasibility of donating agricultural conservation easements, and entering into <br />voluntary agricultural districts, <br />5. Contain a schedule for implementing the plan and an identification of possible <br />funding sources for the long-term support of the plan,5 <br /> <br />The statute suggests that such a countywide farmland protection plan may be formulated <br />with the assistance of an agricultural advisory board, which <br />County appointed as part of its Voluntary Agricultural District ordinance (ordinance cite). <br />That board, known as the County Agricultural Advisory <br />Board, will take the lead role in administering this plan and reporting to the Board of <br />County Commissioners on its progress,6 <br /> <br />ARTICLE III: <br />OVERVIEW OF <br />COUNTY AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITy7 <br /> <br />A. Agricultural Production <br />County's family farms produce a diverse array of <br />agricultural products, (describe key products)8 <br /> <br />B. Economic Impact of Agricultural Production <br />Agriculture is ranked as County's number # <br />industry, accounting for $ in gross sales annually, In 2002, _ <br />County agricultural producers realized $ in cash <br />receipts, with farm production expenses of $ , illustrating <br />agriculture's importance to the local economy. Agriculture is much more than <br />farming in that a substantial number of non-agricultural businesses supply the needs <br />of farmers. These include processors, vehicle and equipment dealers and other <br />enterprises. County farmers, for example, own and must <br />maintain and replace # trucks, # tractors and <br />numerous other pieces of farm equipment and machinery, They also purchase over $_ <br />of petroleum products, $ of feed, $ <br />of hired farm labor and approximately $ of other products and <br /> <br />2 <br /> <br />t-\~~ <br />