Specifications include, but are not limited to: The updated Plan will provide a blueprint for the preservation and enhancement of farmland and the Erie County agricultural industry over the next ten years. The Plan should consider existing issues and topics that have emerged and/or intensified since 2012, including: • Workforce development. • Agriculture operator consolidation. • Farm labor shortages and regulations. • Supply chain disruptions. • Climate change and climate-friendly farming practices. • Electrification of agricultural vehicles. • Automation. • Broadband availability. • Urban agriculture and community gardens, including Best Management Practices (BMPs) for urban and suburban settings. • Food Donation and Food Scraps Recycling Law. • Solar/renewable development, including the identification of lands vulnerable to this type of development (i.e., near electric transmission lines). • Food systems, including addressing areas of low food access. • Emerging markets (i.e., cannabis). • Residential developments. • Farm ownership succession and barriers to entry for all farmers and particularly beginning, woman, and veteran farmers, as well as historically disadvantaged farmers and those who have been subjected to discrimination because of their identity. • Analysis of farm ownership characteristics. • Analysis of potential agricultural industry changes.
