Third Round (Applications accepted until 3/18/05)

• PDR Committee will evaluate all applications, first to determine if they meet all the Eligibility Criteria, and then, secondly, to determine priority for purchase. 
• All farms will be visited by the Committee
• Eligibility Criteria:  land used as a bona fide agricultural operation, parcel must be at least 50 acres, or comprising a combined area of contiguous parcels greater than 50 acres, parcel must be zoned RA or RC, parcel is not pending conservation easement of any other type
• Secondary/Ranking Criteria will include the following categories: Agricultural Economic Viability, Quality of the Farmland, Surrounding Support Quality, Likelihood of Conversion & Off-Farm Income, Environmental Qualities and Historic and Scenic Qualities.
• Process for Scoring Applications:  each Committee member will score all applications by assigning points as follows:  3 = High, 2 = Medium, 1 = Low, for each ranking factor contained in the categories listed above.  A total score for each farm will be tallied.  The maximum score which can be assigned for each farm is 60.  The farm scores assigned by each Committee member will be averaged and converted to a Percentage Score (percent of maximum possible) for each application. 
• Recommendations to Board of Supervisors:  the Committee will use the following score breakdown in making its recommendation to the Board of Supervisors:

Percentage Scores:       85 and greater Highly Recommended

            70 – 85           Recommended

                        60 – 70            Low Recommendation

                         < 60                Not Recommended