Orange County NC Website
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1 <br />2 <br />3 <br />4 <br />5 <br />6 <br />7 <br />8 <br />9 <br />10 <br />11 <br />12 <br />13 <br />14 <br />15 <br />16 <br />17 <br />18 <br />19 <br />20 <br />21 <br />22 <br />23 <br />24 <br />25 <br />26 <br />27 <br />28 <br />29 <br />30 <br />31 <br />32 <br />33 <br />34 <br />35 <br />36 <br />37 <br />38 <br />39 <br />40 <br />41 <br />42 <br />43 <br />44 <br />Soil Productivity <br />Orange County's approximately 398 square miles (254,720 acres) consists of mostly rolling <br />terrain. The county lies across three major water basins: the Roanoke River Basin in the north, <br />the Neuse River Basin in the northeast and the Cape Fear River Basin in the southeast. The <br />growing season lasts about 200 days from mid April to late October and usually includes <br />sufficient amounts of rain during the summer months. <br />Soils are classified in associations <br />based on their suitability for different <br />land uses such as agriculture, forestry, <br />or residential or commercial <br />development. This classification <br />system defines various soils based on <br />their potential productivity for <br />different agricultural products as well <br />as their limitations--their risk of <br />environmental damage such as <br />erosion when they are used for <br />agriculture and how easily these <br />limitations can be overcome by <br />remedial measures. Class I soils <br />generally have the fewest limitations, <br />support the widest range of uses, and <br />carry the least risk of environmental <br />damage. Class II soils have some <br />limitations that reduce the range of <br />potential crops or require moderate <br />conservation practices. Class III soils <br />have greater limitations on their range <br />of potential crops and require special <br />conservation measures. Class I and II <br />soils are considered to be "prime" <br />agricultural soils - soils whose <br />characteristics make them most suited <br />to agricultural uses. <br />Orange County Watersheds <br />~ Fr,~~~ r <br />... -: , <br />~a~w r; ~ ~ <br />~ ._r~_, ~'~~t~~i i , , ,. <br />~~ ~pWE~ ~ .~~~~~ ~~~ yb k x-- <br />-~ ~~~f' <br />,f <br />,~- `v <br />. ~-~- 1 ,? `^~ -- <br />t ^~ F -,> >,~ , ? ~- ~ Y ~ <br />_s ~,. <br />'`[.~.oz Crell ~~: `.r t :Legend <br />~~ ~ Watersheds: <br />Y~ ~ k i ~ '~` ~ AMeded Water Supply <br />l ; ~- ,~` ~ ~Unproleded N4ter SLPptY <br />r f~fi~ ~' ~ '~ ys~ .., Crdipl Mea <br />~ ~.~ Y- g'- k .+x ra+r RNer Basin Bountlary <br />t <br />~kl _Y~ ~-r ,.-~ -a a ^7 '~-Streams <br />;Y.7 .~ ~ - ~~ ~`~~ '~~~ Municipal Jurisdictions <br />,~ <br />~: <br />.~ F k ,. r A` ~4y <br />Almost three quarters of the County's land area consists of soils productive for agricultural and <br />forestry uses, including 140,630 acres of prime farmland and 58,650 acres of state and locally <br />important farmland.6 Approximately 34,084 acres or 40% of active and inactive agricultural <br />lands in the county are on prime agricultural soils. The majority of these quality soils (shown in <br />dark green) extend across the County in a diagonal pattern southwest to northeast. <br />6 About 90% of active and inactive farmland in Orange County consists of Class I, II or III soils. <br />Draft 6/1/2009 <br />Overview of Agricultural Activity <br />7 <br />