Relevant

Action Plans and Strategies

Business Development and Expansion

• Support the Agriculture Economic Development position at Cooperative Extension to assist individuals in developing new and growing existing businesses;
• Make this part of the website more robust with many links and a Q and A section
• Continue to support the Kitchen Incubator at the Lancaster County Career and Technology Center;
• Participate in the Food and Fitness project in Philadelphia to policy and infrastructure needs to expand on marketing opportunities for farm to schools and farm to institutions;
• Explore meat processing needs and opportunities with Smucker Meats in Mt. Joy;
• Develop relationship with Lancaster General Hospital and assist them in building the needed infrastructure for their buy local purchasing program with the goal of consolidating supply to meet the demand.

Technology and Information Transfer

• Continue to develop the content on the website and to expand the public relations effort;
  • Look into making "Keep Lancaster County Farming" the key slogan for the Center;
  • Maintain an advertising presence in Lancaster Farming;
  • Develop an event calendar on the website, possibly in conjunction with Lancaster Farming;
  • Add a listserv capacity to the website;
• Continue training for farmers already in the business;
• Coordinate public relations for training with whatever part of the agriculture community that is targeted;
• Continue to support the needs of the Manure Council;
• Identify funding sources for incentive grants and private equity investment in new ideas;
• Reach out to the Ben Franklin Partners around new ideas

Youth Development/School to Work

• Sponsor a work session by December 31, 2008 with Agriculture teachers from around the County and with school districts that do not have a program but that might want to participate;
• Continue a dialogue with LCCTC and HACC about articulating an Ag program with Penn State with a tentative plan to be brought forward by September 30, 2008;
• Work with the existing Career Camps run by the Workforce Investment Board to ensure an Ag component;
• Explore a connection with the work on intergenerational farming that is being done by the PA Department of Agriculture that may include a seminar;
• Identify and lift up in public relations effort interesting best practices;
• Explore the potential for developing an agriculture mechanics program with a report on its feasibility by December 31, 2008

Renewable Energy

• Lay the groundwork for the Renewable Energy Committee to become the Agriculture Renewable Energy Subcommittee of a broader energy initiative by the Chamber;
• Collaborate with Energy task groups now being developed in the PA Departments of Community and Economic Development, Environmental Protection, and Labor and Industry;
• Research and report on funding that is available for agriculture renewable energy demonstration projects by October 1, 2008;
• Continue to support the needs of the Manure Council with regard to innovation;
• Coordinate an ongoing public relations and information effort to consumers and producers about the opportunities for alternative energy resources;
• Partner with and assist Lancaster County organizations to develop a proposal to become a demonstration site for multiple alternative energy installations including hydroelectric, geothermal, methane recovery, solar, wind, and green roof possibly in conjunction with PPL.

Conservation and Farmland Preservation

• Continue to support the efforts of the Lancaster County Conservation District to develop conservation plans among the producer community.

Consumer Awareness

• Continue to cooperate with supporting the Buy Fresh, Buy Local initiative.

Strategies

• Use a Task Force to explore the variety of grant resources that are available from public and private resources at the local, state, and federal level on an on-going basis.