A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to appropriate funds for a regional value‑added processing center to serve alamance, chatham, durham, and orange counties.
Whereas, more and more farmers in the Alamance, Chatham, Durham, and Orange County region are moving away from tobacco production into other farm products; and
Whereas, most farmers in this four‑county region are not likely to receive any significant benefits from the Golden Leaf program because two of the four partnering counties, while still benefiting from a strong local farm economy, are not individually or collectively recognized as tobacco dependent; and
Whereas, Alamance, Chatham, Durham, and Orange Counties, along with several local businesses, have partnered to fund a feasibility study from which will be developed a regional value‑added processing center which would enhance agribusiness in the four‑county area and also serve as a model for developing centers in the other areas of the State; and
Whereas, the Alamance, Chatham, Durham, and Orange County region is readily accessible via the Interstate and U.S. highway systems, thereby making it "farmer convenient" and an especially strong candidate for a statewide model regional value‑added agriculture product processing center; and
Whereas, value‑added processing uses a method to manipulate products in a way that increases the value, shelf life, or usability of the products, such as creating jams, jellies, baked goods, or frozen products from produce; and
Whereas, schools, hospitals, community colleges, local grocery stores, and other institutions have expressed a willingness to purchase locally grown products if an adequate year‑round supply can be guaranteed; and
Whereas, a value‑added processing center would not only enable farmers from the region to better meet the demand for year-round locally grown products but also provide a supervised, sanitary facility to prepare and package food to increase food safety, as well as food security in terrorist‑plagued times; Now, therefore,
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  There is appropriated from the General Fund to Orange County the sum of one million dollars ($1,000,000) for the 2007‑2008 fiscal year to construct and equip a regional value‑added processing center to enhance agribusiness in Alamance, Chatham, Durham, and Orange Counties.
SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2007.