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Markets awards grants to counties to formulate such plans. Certain narratives, structures and ideas have been borrowed from these plans, and are noted accordingly. The various descriptive narratives contained in this model plan are suggestions and can be changed to meet the special circumstances of an individual county. 2 NCGS §106-735 et seq. s NCGS § 106- 735(b). "Qualifying farmland" is defined in §106-737. 4 NCGS § 106 -744 (c)(1). 'NCGS §106-744(e)(1-5) 6 Such a plan might also be formulated by a planning agency or other advisory board such a soil and water conservation district that has responsibility for land preservation in the county. ' Counties in other states that have formulated county farmland protection plans first compiled data from agricultural censuses, real property tax roles, planning departments and soil and water conservation districts. This data collection reveals information about changes in the number of farms in the county, their ownership structure, soil types, number and value of agricultural assessments and on amount of land, and planning and zoning regulations, all of which sketch the background needed to put the issue of agricultural protection in perspective. ' This information can be generally supplied by the 1997 Census of Agriculture, Table 2, "Market Value of Agricultural Products Sold and Farms by North American Industry Classification System: 1997 and 1992," pp. 192 -204. An effort should be made to supplement this information with statistical updates from the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, as well as a local farmer survey to capture transitions to alternative agricultural production. 9 This narrative model is adapted from the Steuben County, New York Agricultural Development and Farmland Protection Plan. The specific economic figures demonstrated in the narrative are supplied by the Census of Agriculture. The USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Services (MASS) conducts the national agricultural census every five years. Currently, data is available from the 1997 census, with statewide and county -level data available for North Carolina at http: / /www.nass.usda.gov /census According to the NASS website, state and county data from the 2002 census will be released on the internet in February 2004 10 The 50 to 179 measurement is a statistical category in Census of Agriculture, and is chosen here as the range containing the highest number of farms in North Carolina (18, 259 farms). " This information can be found by county in Table 11 of the North Carolina summaries of the 1997 Census of Agriculture, "Tenure and Characteristics of Operator and Type of Organization: 1997 and 1992" 12 1997 Census of Agriculture. The Conservation Reserve Program and Wetlands Reserve Program are explained further in Article V. " According to the statistics for all of North Carolina, while the number of farms between 1992 and 1997 decreased the number of acres in farming increased by 186,364 acres. Results from individual counties vary with some following this pattern, others not. 14 This information should be available from the Soil and Water Conservation District office for the district in which the county is located. " As noted above, county -wide farmland protection plans reviewed from other states are data - supported. Prior to drafting a plan, in addition to collecting the census data described above, county farmers and agribusinesses should be surveyed by the body or committee, perhaps the county's Agricultural Advisory Board if the county has adopted a Voluntary Agricultural District ordinance pursuant to NCGS § 106 -738, that has come together to address agricultural protection at the county level. This survey should put in real terms the county farmers' and farmland owners' values, concerns, optimism about the future, etc. that will guide framing of issues and their solutions in the county -wide plan. This survey data will give the Agricultural Protection Plan credibility with county residents, and will have the effect of laying the groundwork for future action. The challenges identified in this model are examples of what a survey would likely reveal, and specifics should be inserted where appropriate. 16 These are concerns that have surfaced in surveys conducted in counties in other states. Because they tend to be uniform across county and state lines, these are suggested, though more may certainly surface specific to North Carolina or even the specific county. 1' Census of Agriculture, North Carolina Table 11, "Tenure and Characteristics of Operator and Type of Organization: 1997 and 1992," p. 334. " Ibid, pp. 334 -346 20 Attachment number 1 G -1 Page 217