Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2012 07:56:03 -0400
From: Debra Henzey
Subject:Chatham County Announces Openings on Agricultural Advisory Committee
PITTSBORO- Chatham County residents involved in agriculture, agribusiness and related fields are invited to apply for openings on the Agriculture Advisory Committee. Several seats are available for one to three-year terms.
The Agriculture Advisory Committee advises the Board of Commissioners on agricultural issues and reviews and approves all property that owners requested to be a Voluntary Agriculture District (VAD). The VAD Program encourages preservation and protection of farmland from non-farm development.
The committee also manages the county’s Agriculture Hall of Fame Awards Program.
“We are seeking members who make the majority of their living in agriculture production, related agribusinesses and other agricultural activities,” said Sam Groce, director of the Chatham County Center of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service.
“We also want to make sure that we have good geographic representation of the entire county,” Groce said.
Younger farmers (under age 50) are encouraged to apply for the committee. Groce said, “They represent the future of agriculture and should be involved in the committee’s work.”
Groce added that he hopes the committee will have a diverse representation of the county’s key agricultural commodities or activities: livestock production (beef, dairy, small ruminants); contract poultry growers, nursery and landscape operations, equine, forestry, market growers (produce and local meats), agricultural education, agricultural finance and product suppliers.
The committee typically meets every other month on the second Tuesday in Pittsboro.
The deadline to apply for the open positions is July 31, 2012. A committee application form can be found at: www.chathamnc.org/Index.aspx?page=3D201 or contact Lindsay Ray at 919-542-8200 to have a form sent to you.
Appointments will be made by the Chatham County Board of Commissioners.
If you have questions about the committee’s work, contact Sam Groce at 919-542-8202.
Debra J. Henzey
Director of Community Relations
Chatham County, NC