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"Agricultural Open." Bob Ritchie discussed the 2007 Cabarrus County <br />Growth Summit and how residents expressed the desire for more open <br />space and farmland. Mr. Hudson also mentioned the Agricultural <br />Development and Farmland Preservation (ADFP) grant application from <br />the county to purchase development rights on Porter Farms. <br />There was a general discussion among the Board, staff and guests. <br />Topics discussed included: the FORT scoring process; the differing <br />geology and geography of each county; the fact that Charlotte is the <br />25 largest municipal area in the country; and Cabarrus District has <br />2 -times the agriculture of Mecklenburg and Gaston combined. <br />Ms. Combs said our FORT score went down this year and those are <br />updated every January, resulting in staffing adjustments. If Cabarrus <br />County was combined with Stanly and Montgomery County, then we would <br />have the 3 largest FORT score in the state. The new NRCS Field <br />Office will be in NRCS Area 2. The daily work schedule for the <br />District Conservationist will be determined by the Assistant State <br />Conservationist for Field Operations after considering workload in <br />each county and travel time between counties. <br />The FY 2009 NRCS budget will be cut by 150. Ms. Combs further stated <br />the restructuring was designed to be fair to NRCS employees and <br />politics were not involved in the process. Ms. Combs said that the <br />District board has some very valid points and she would continue to <br />monitor the workload and staffing needs during the next year. <br />(3) Adjourn <br />Ned Hudson adjourned the meeting at 2:30 p.m. <br />Ned udson, hairman 4�Atchie, Vice - Chairman <br />