SOE2010.LocalFarmsOutline

External Reviewers: 1. Gerry Cohn [mailto:matzahrising@gmail.com], former Director of the Southeast Office, American Farmland Trust. He has been involved in writing several of the county farmland protection plans locally. 2. Dr. Nancy Creamer [nancy_creamer@ncsu.edu], Director of CEFS and Co-Chair of NC Food Policy Council instrumental in building a local food economy statewide. 3. Tandy Jones [//tandy@triangleland.org//], Director of Special Projects, Triangle Land Conservancy.
 * The most recent Farms Outline (3/4):** [[file:OUTLINE_3-4-2010.docx]]

Farmland Preservation resources (probably listed somewhere already) :
 * Farmland conservation tool by NC Agricultural Development & Farmland Preservation Trust Fund - [] - Seems cool but I couldn't make it work when I tried it 3/3...
 * Good basic info regarding Voluntary Ag districts, Farmland Protection Plans etc. - []
 * NCDA approved Farmland Protection Plans in NC - [] - Old info or are there different kinds of plans?
 * Farmland Protection Plans can be found here:
 * Chatham - [] (DRAFT)
 * Durham - ​[] - Lots of useful information for us...
 * Johnston - [] (DRAFT)
 * Orange - []
 * Lee - Does not have a Farmland Protection Plan but the county does have a farmland protection program, primarily through VADs and conservation easements
 * Wake - In the process of drafting a FPP. Dale Threats-Taylor at Wake Soil & Water heads up this effort. (Aimee will speak with her about her progress when she returns to her office on 3/15).

I think Elina now has this data on her flash drive: voluntary ag districts (81Mb) - That's right. The only problem is that we have data for only three of the counties (Chatham, Johnston, Wake) even though all six of them should have these. Another problem, some of the data are from 2006 and others from 2008. We'll probably need to contact each county to get the most recent information, as LA said. -Elina Here is some data re farmland preservation from the NC Conservation Almanac. Some or all of it could go into the Farm Preservation section/indicator:

Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund
The Farmland Preservation Trust Fund **was originally established in 1986, and in 2005, the Legislature renamed the program, The Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund. At that time the description was broadened to include three grant areas: conservation easements, agricultural agreements and programs that develop sustainable or viable agriculture. The Commissioner of Agriculture administers the Trust Fund and a 19-member advisory committee was established to help direct funds and the application process. Revenue is derived from annual allocations from the General Fund.**
 * ~ Year ||~ Acres ||~ Dollars ||
 * 1998 || 758 || 187,500 ||
 * 1999 || 154 || 425,000 ||
 * 2000 || 957 || 1,425,000 ||
 * 2001 || 1,352 || 162,000 ||
 * 2002 || 267 || 185,000 ||
 * Total || 3,488 || $2,384,500 ||

State Incentive for Local Land Conservation
The Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund requires that a non-profit conservation organization must match 30 percent of trust fund monies received from sources other than NC ADFP Trust Fund.

Tier Two or Three Enterprise Counties: Tier One Enterprise Counties: The Park and Recreation Trust Fund uses 30 percent of its revenues for a dollar-for dollar matching grant to local governments for park and recreation purposes.
 * With a County Farmland Protection Plan must submit a 15 percent match
 * Without a County Farmland Protection Plan must submit a 30 percent match
 * With a County Farmland Protection Plan must submit a 0 percent match
 * Without a County Farmland Protection Plan must have a 30 percent match.

From: http://www.conservationalmanac.org/secure/almanac/southeast/nc/programs.html#sifllc008


 * NEW Farmland Area graphs [[file:New Farm Graphs.docx]]


 * Farm Tables [[file:Farm Tables mockup.doc]] <>
 * Number of Farms [[file:Number of Farms mockup.doc]] <>
 * Farmland Area [[file:Farmland Area mockup.doc]] <>
 * Woodland Area [[file:Woodland Area mockup.doc]] <>
 * Market Value of Ag Products [[file:Market Value mockup.doc]] << george - go back to 1992 and inflation-adjust - looking for different display also. Have to think and draw>>
 * Net Cash Farm Income of Operations [[file:Net Cash Farm Income mockup.doc]] << george - go back to 1992 and inflation-adjust - looking for different display also. Have to think and draw>>
 * Market Value of Ag Products [[file:Market Value mockup.doc]] << george - go back to 1992 and inflation-adjust - looking for different display also. Have to think and draw>>
 * Net Cash Farm Income of Operations [[file:Net Cash Farm Income mockup.doc]] << george - go back to 1992 and inflation-adjust - looking for different display also. Have to think and draw>>
 * Net Cash Farm Income of Operations [[file:Net Cash Farm Income mockup.doc]] << george - go back to 1992 and inflation-adjust - looking for different display also. Have to think and draw>>
 * Net Cash Farm Income of Operations [[file:Net Cash Farm Income mockup.doc]] << george - go back to 1992 and inflation-adjust - looking for different display also. Have to think and draw>>

These can be hand drawn or written - no need to be fancy. Scan and post as appropriate. Doing this helps you identify the kind of data that you will need to collect to create the graphic. It will also come in handy when you ask people for data - you can show them your mock-up and say "I'm looking for data to create this graph / table / map/"
 * 1) Start with most important figures.
 * 2) For graphs, label what goes on the axes and show what you might expect the ranges to be.
 * 3) For tables, label the rows and columns that you wish to find data to fill in.
 * 4) For maps, what will the map legend be?

Local Farms & Food (including forestry)

A. Introduction 1) Vision and goals 2) Executive summary of locally grown and consumed food and trees 3) NC Local Food Policy Council (partnership promotion of a local food economy)

B. Local Food Production and Consumption Primary Indicators 1) Number of AND volume of produce sold from regional farmers markets, community supported agriculture, and roadside stands. 2) Number of local processing and packing cooperatives (slaughter, hatcheries, bakeries, etc.). 3) Number of operations supporting sales and marketing infrastructure for local food. 4) Volume of locally produced and consumed food, imported/exported food (Farmer's markets vs. Grocery stores). 5) Locally produced and consumed timber, imported/exported timber.

Secondary Indicators 6) Percentage of local food in local grocery stores. 7) Number of community gardens, school edible gardens, urban agriculture acreage, people growing their own food, etc.

C. Ecosystem Services Provided Through Farmland Cultivation Indicators based on models available in InVEST and other ecosystem valuation tools: Primary Indicators 1) Carbon sequestration Economic: net present value of carbon credits, Income from markets Biophysical: narbon stocks (tonnes of carbon/hectare), carbon sequestration or loss (tonnes of carbon/hectare/year) 2) Biodiversity Biophysical: habitat quality in major habitat types - forest, wetland, etc., countryside biodiversity score, species viability 3) Native pollination Economic: crop value of native habitat, crop value due to native pollination Biophysical: crop yield due to native pollination, pollinator abundance on farms, pollinator habitat around farms 4) Flood mitigation Economic: cost of flood damage Biophysical: flood risk (probability of a flood happening in a specific place) 5) Real estate Economic: increased real estate value due to natural surroundings 6) Cultural and aesthetic Economic: existence value Biophysical: number of significant sites

Secondary Indicators 7) Drinking water Economic: drinking water supply cost, drinking water treatment cost Biophysical: water supply (amount of water available at different times of year), water quality (concentration of contaminants or sediment) 8) Non-timber forest products Economic: Net present value of game Biophysical: non-timber forest product yield (i.e. grams of endangered plants per hectare)

D. Farmland Preservation Primary Indicators 1) County and Municipal farmland preservation initiatives A - Voluntary Ag District (binary; the program is either in the county or not) B - Enhanced Voluntary Ag District (binary; the program is either in the county or not) C - Revitalizing Voluntary Ag District (binary; the program is either in the county or not) D - Farmland Protection Plans (binary; the program is either in the county or not) E - Working on a Farmland Protection Plan (binary; the program is either in the county or not) 2) Number of properties or area of farm and forest land donated land through the Conservation Tax Credit Program 3) Number of or tax deduction for being in the Present Use Value Program 4) Number of or value of tax kickback for farms exiting Present Use Value Program

Secondary Indicators 1) Number, value, or area of farmland enrolled in USDA Natural Resources or Environmental Quality Incentives Program 2) Number of farmlands in transition (acreage held more than 2 generations) 3) Number of small and minority-owned farms 4) Value of grants awarded in the Farmland Preservation Trust Fund

E. Recreation and Environmental Education 1) Number of Agritourism locations 2) Visitation income and rate from Carolina Farm Stewardship Association's farm tours

F. Summary 1) Where are we?

2) What do we know? 3) What don’t we know?
 * Farm & forest land protected by TLC
 * Connections between local growers, elected officials and consumers

G. Supporting Statistics Primary Indicators by COUNTY and STATE TOTAL 1) Number of farms 2) Total area of farms 3) Income of farms 4) Yield of farms 6) Area of farmland lost to other land uses 7) Total timber production acreage by region and the ownership, timber growth and harvest

Secondary Indicators by COUNTY and STATE TOTAL 8) Number of farms by type; (1) dairy, (2) crop, and (3) livestock 9) Number of farms by size; (1) 1 to 99 acres, (2) 100 – 499 acres, (3) 500 – 999 acres, and (4) greater than 1000 acres 10) Value of farm subsidies 11) Value of certified organic crop 12) Area of conservation tillage practice 13) Area of conventional tillage practice 14) Area of irrigated farms

Old as of 2/8/2010 9PM

Local Farms & Food (including forestry)

A. Introductory Statement

 B. Local Food Production and Consumption
 * Vision and goals
 * Executive summary of locally grown and consumed food and trees

Primary  1) Regional density of regional farmers markets, CSA's and roadside stands, and how much local produce sold annually 2) Number of local processing and packing cooperatives (slaughter, hatcheries, bakeries, etc.) 3) Sales and marketing infrastructure to support local food movement 4) NC Local Food Policy Council (NCDA/CEFS/DHHS/growers partnership) 5) Locally produced and consumed food, imported/exported food (Farmer's markets vs. Grocery stores) 6) Locally produced and consumed timber, imported/exported timber <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Secondary <span style="color: #7e1010; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> 7) Percentage of local food in local grocery stores 8) Community gardens, school edible gardens, urban agriculture acreage, people growing their own food, etc.

C. Ecosystem Services Provided Through Farmland Cultivation

Indicators based on models available in InVEST and other ecosystem valuation tools: __ Primary __ //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;">Biophysical: //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;">Carbon stocks (tonnes of carbon/hectare), Carbon sequestration or loss (tonnes of carbon/hectare/year) · **<span style="color: #76923c; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;">Biodiversity //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;">Biophysical: //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;">Habitat quality in major habitat types - forest, wetland, etc., Countryside biodiversity score, Species viability · Native pollination //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;">Biophysical: //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;">Crop yield due to native pollination, Pollinator abundance on farms, Pollinator habitat around farms · ** Flood mitigation ** //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;">Economic: //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;">Cost of flood damage //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;">Biophysical: //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;">Flood risk (probability of a flood happening in a specific place) · ** Real estate · ** Cultural and aesthetic //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;">Biophysical: //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;">Number of significant sites ** __ Secondary __ //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;">Biophysical: //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;">Water supply (amount of water available at different times of year), Water quality (concentration of contaminants or sediment) · ** Non-timber forest products //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;">Biophysical: //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;">Non-timber forest product yield (i.e. kilograms of charcoal per hectare, grams of medicinal plants per hectare) ** Available in InVEST 1.0 Available in the next release of InVEST (whenever it comes out) Not in InVEST – other sources? These should also be available in InVEST 1.0: - sediment retention for reservoir maintenance model
 * · ** Carbon sequestration
 * //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;">Economic: //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;">Net present value of carbon credits, Income from markets
 * //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;">Economic: //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;">Crop value of native habitat, Crop value due to native pollination
 * //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;">Economic: //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;">Increased real estate value due to natural surroundings
 * //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;">Economic: //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;">Existence value
 * · ** Drinking water
 * //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;">Economic: //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;">Drinking water supply cost, Drinking water treatment cost
 * //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;">Economic: //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 8pt;">Net present value of charcoal, game, and medicinal plants, etc.
 * - water pollution regulation model

D. Farmland Preservation <span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//Primary// <span style="color: #7e1010; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> 1) County and Municipal farmland preservation initiatives A - Voluntary Ag District B - Enhanced Voluntary Ag District C - Revitalizing Voluntary Ag District D - Farmland Protection Plans 2) Conservation Tax Credit Program 3) Value of tax kickback for farms leaving Present Use Value Program

<span style="color: #ff0000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//Secondary// <span style="color: #7e1010; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> 1) Farmland enrolled in trust, CRP/EQUIP and value of this enrollment 2) Farmland in transition (acreage held more than 2 generations) 3) Small and minority-owned farms 4) Preservation Trust Fund value

<span style="color: #7e1010; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">E **. <span style="color: #7e1010; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Recreation and Environmental Education Old as of 2/1/2010

Local Farms & Food (including forestry) __A. Statistics__ __B. Farmland Preservation__
 * __Statement of vision and goals – locally grown and consumed food and trees__
 * __Summary – Where are we? What do we know? What don’t we know?__
 * 1) Farmlands
 * __County-level data seem readily available from US Census of Ag, 1997, 2002, 2007 / data appear comparable, but dollar amounts not inflation-indexed but could be used for trending [] __
 * __NC trend data, state fact sheet: USDA <span style="-moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; background-attachment: scroll;">Economic Research Service (ERS): http://www.ers.usda.gov/StateFacts/NC.htm, http://www.ncagr.gov/markets/field/index.htm__
 * __# farms, area in farms, average size of farm, median size of farm, farm size distribution, cropland, sales by crop, net income, days worked off farm, livestock, selected crops.__
 * __Type of Irrigation used (rain fed, overhead/pivot, drip)__
 * __Farmland by use including crop, pasture (livestock), woodland, and farmland enrolled in a land trust, or UDSA conservation program (CRP or EQUIP)__
 * __Value of certified organic products__
 * __Ratio of organic : conventional cultivation__
 * __Tillage Type: conventional or conservation__
 * __NC-specific USDA Ag Research Service site: http://www.ars.usda.gov/main/site_main.htm?modecode=66-45-00-00__
 * __USDA Farm Subsidy Payments by type (conservation and commodity) in NC (2007): http://farm.ewg.org/sites/farmbill2007/progdetail1614.php?fips=37000&progcode=total&page=croptable__
 * __Trends in farm loss and gain (new, small farms especially in Chatham County)__
 * __2009 NC Ag stats are available, including economic and environmental stats: http://www.ncagr.gov/stats/index.htm__
 * __Farmland lost to other land uses: http://www.ncagr.gov/stats/general/history.htm__
 * __Map of gradations of valuable/fertile farmland__
 * __Soil conservation--is there a measure of soil lost to erosion, wind, etc.__
 * __http://ncagr.gov/agronomi/sitemap.htm ?__
 * __Summary of commodity type by county - [] __
 * __NC historical data: http://www.ncagr.gov/stats/2009AgStat/index.htm__
 * __Some indicator of mix with other land cover types (perhaps “core” concept from Heinz; Kurt Riitters?)__
 * __Yields vs. inputs (see Heinz for methodology)__
 * __Tax valuation programs__
 * __Voluntary Ag Districts and Preservation Trust Fund (maps): http://www.ncadfp.org/vadprogram.htm__
 * __TLC Land Trust: http://www.triangleland.org/landowner/tax.shtml__
 * __Farmland viability assessment (1NCNaturally) [] __
 * __NC Farm Transition Network (keeping land in farm and forest production as it passes between generations or otherwise changes ownership): [] __
 * __Small and minority-owned farms: http://www.ncagr.gov/smallfarms/__
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Farmland enrolled in trust, CRP/EQUIP and value of this enrollment
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Preservation Trust Fund value (2008-09 GA funding)

__C. Local Food and Consumption__ __D. Recreational Opportunities__
 * __Regional density of regional farmers markets, CSA's and roadside stands, and how much local produce sold annually. Data Resource: http://www.carolinafarmstewards.org/advanced.shtml__
 * __How much produce in grocery stores is from local farmers?__
 * __Percentage of retail markets offering local meat, dairy, produce, grains, seafood?__
 * __[|Slow Food Triangle]__ __, [|Triangle Food Commons], [|NC Choices] , [|NC Farm Fresh] , [|Carolina Farm Stewardship Association] , [|CEFS Farm2Fork program], [|Inter-faith Food Shuttle]__
 * __Number of community gardens, school edible gardens, urban agriculture acreage, people growing their own food, etc. [This may not fit well in the report since land trust action is irrelevant here]__
 * __Presence of local processing and packing cooperatives (slaughter, chickarees, bakeries)__
 * __Sales and marketing infrastructure to support local food movement__
 * __Data tracking consumer purchases of local food and awareness of availability__
 * __Workplace support Ag in RTP: [|Workplace Community Supported Agriculture: Connecting Local Farms to Local Employers] __
 * __Ag School (ARE) Profs and Cooperative Extension Agents: Barry Goodwin, Michele Marra, Nick Piggot, and Gary Bullen; Debbie Roos (Chatham Extension Agent specializing in small farms and locally grown food: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/chatham/ag/SustAg/index.html)__
 * __Heinz Indicators__ __:__
 * __soil erosion, salinity, types__
 * __patches of natural land in the farmland landscape to reconnect wildlife corridors__
 * __proximity of cropland to residences__
 * __Agritourism: http://www.ncagr.gov/markets/agritourism/links.htm__
 * __Triangle Farm Tours: http://www.carolinafarmstewards.org/blog/?tag=piedmont-farm-tour__

__2.__ Woodlands

__A. Statistics [|http://fia.fs.fed.us] - total area of forest land by region and the ownership of forest land, timber growth and harvest, and Forest Products Laboratory data synthesizing Department of Commerce and Industry trade association- [] non-wood products, imported/exported timber+other products, local consumption, building with wood...

B. Heinz Indicators__
 * Forest age, forest disturbances, forest community types with significantly reduced area, at-risk native forest species (Wildlife Habitat?)
 * Management categories
 * Carbon stored in forests

C. Ecosystem services provided by trees
 * INVEST for valuation of ecosystem services: []
 * runoff/flood management -> water quality, air quality, noise reduction, carbon (already included), shade, preventing soil erosion...

D. Recreation in forests
 * Trails, programs, users... [might overlap too much with Connecting People to Nature]

3. TLC’s role and contribution
 * __Farm & forest land protected by TLC__
 * __Connections between local growers, elected officials and consumers - program?__
 * __There is a statewide Food Advisory Council: http://www.ncagr.gov/localfood/__
 * __Education and recreation programs__
 * __Managing farmland for wildlife: hedgerows, riparian buffers and other management techniques can benefit wildlife. TLC might want to work with farmers to educate them on wildlife-friendly practices. There are a number of programs that subsidize this to promote quail and other species mgmt: [] __
 * __Enhancing farmland for quail [] __
 * __TLC should require/assist farmers with best management practices- help link them to financial/technical support__
 * __NC NRCS provides this service: http://www.nc.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/__
 * __RAFI (Pittsboro) also provides this service: http://rafiusa.org/programs/farmsustainability.html__

_

Old as of 1/24/2010:

Benefit Description & Vision for Local Farms & Food**

Well-managed farms and associated woodlands enhance our communities by sustaining rural economies that produce food, wood products, and other crops. They provide clean water, wildlife habitat, scenic vistas, and educational opportunities. Local farms also supply fresh food to our tables through farmers markets, grocery stores, and restaurants. Our region’s growth and other factors are fracturing agricultural communities, and farms are vanishing.

TLC envisions a Triangle Region in which economically viable, sustainable agricultural communities provide food and forest products to people living right here in the region.

<<TLC will support local farms and food by: • working with farmers to protect their land with conservation easements, which can help farms stay in business • providing opportunities for education and research on TLC‐owned farmland •working with partners to connect local growers with local consumers. Katherine 1/19>>


 * Could suggest some partnerships with the state CSA group, State Farmer's Market Association, to build relationship TLC has with local farms? (Steve)

5. Local Farms & Food (including forestry)
 * Statement of vision and goals – locally grown and consumed food and trees
 * Summary – Where are we? What do we know? What don’t we know?
 * County-level data seem readily available from US Census of Ag, 1997, 2002, 2007 / data appear comparable, but dollar amounts not inflation-indexed http://www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/2007/index.asp
 * # farms, area in farms, average size of farm, median size of farm, farm size distribution, cropland, sales, net income, days worked off farm, livestock, select crops.
 * Irrigated land
 * Farmland by use, including crop, pasture, woodland, crp
 * Value of certified organic products (2002, 2007 only)
 * <<Also: trends over time. Farmland lost to other land uses.
 * Map of gradations of valuable/fertile farmland
 * Soil conservation--is there a measure of soil lost to erosion, wind, etc.?>>Amanda C.1/20
 * Some indicator of mix with other land cover types (perhaps “core” concept from Heinz; Kurt Riitters?)
 * Yields v inputs (see Heinz for methodology)
 * Something about local farmers’ markets and local consumption
 * << there is lots of local food momentum in the area; how well it is connected (i.e. superstructure?) is, of yet, unclear to me. [|slow food triangle], [|triangle food commons], [|NC Choices], [|NC Farm Fresh], [|Carolina Farm Stewardship Association] jessica 1/19>>
 * How much produce in grocery stores is from local farmers?
 * How much produce is sold at area farmers markets each year? (Lauren)
 * Tax valuation programs
 * Farmland viability assessment (1NCNaturally) http://www.onencnaturally.org/PDFs/CHAPTER_7_FARMLAND.pdf
 * Carbon stored in forests (Melissa McHale)
 * TLC’s role and contribution
 * Farm & forest land protected by TLC
 * <<connections between local growers and consumers- program?
 * education programs
 * Other ideas from Heinz report- Heiz Indicators
 * timber growth and harvest- Forest statistics [|http://fia.fs.fed.us] and Forest Products Laboratory data synthesizing Department of Commerce and Industry trade association- http;//www.fpl.fs.fed.us
 * forest age, forest disturbances, forest community types with significantly reduced area, at-risk native forest species, management categories
 * soil erosion, salinity, types
 * patches of natural land in the farmland landscape <<Aimee 2009.1.19>> to reconnect wildlife corridors
 * proximity of cropland to residences Katherine 1/19>>
 * (Steve Allen) Another aspect to consider could be managing farmland for wildlife. Hedgerows, riparian buffers and other management techniques can benefit wildlife. If TLC worked with farmers to educate them on wildlife friendly practices, they may be able to kill two birds with one stone (sorry for the bad pun). There are a number of programs out there that subsidize some of this to promote managing for quail or other species of concern. []
 * Enhancing farmland for quail []
 * Ag stats by county - [] might be similar to data listed above (Steve)
 * http://www.ncftn.org/
 * We could also seek out someone in the Ag School for some guidance, or the Cooperative extension. (Steve)
 * TLC should require/assist farmers with best management practices- help link them to financial/technical support (Ginevra)
 * Number of community gardens, school edible gardens, urban agriculture acreage, people growing their own food, etc. (Amanda 1/20)