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 />45 <br />46 <br />47 <br />48 <br />to achieve certain goals within certain <br />windows of weather and season are critical to <br />successful farming. Often these schedules <br />are based on the farmer's reliance of <br />corridors of transportation between fields, <br />services and markets. <br />4) Public Services F~ctension Fees. Occasionally, <br />new subdivisions develop well or septic <br />problems and require public service <br />extensions. <br />5) <br />6) <br />Nuisance Complaints. AfFluent properties <br />owners seeking a rural experience move to the "country" buying large lots and taking <br />land from production, often with limited regulatory oversight. These new neighbors find <br />themselves faced with the realities of agricultural production: dust, livestock odors, noise <br />from machinery, slow moving farm equipment on roadways. Complaints can create a <br />hostile operating environment, end up in costly litigation, and at worst, can result in <br />curtailing a farmer's ability to operate his or her farm. <br />Annexation. As the municipalities in (Hillsborough, Chapel Hill and Carrboro) and <br />adjacent to (Mebane and Durham) Orange County continue to grow, county property <br />may be annexed, subjecting property owners to different land use regulations. <br />Annexation can impact farmers in two key ways. First, the property will fall under the <br />municipality's zoning regulation. Farmers will likely lose the °bona fide farm" zoning <br />exemption linked to county jurisdiction and may find it more difficult to modify their <br />operation because of codes that are designed for development. Second, the Voluntary <br />Agricultural District program is administered by the County; farmers enrolled in the <br />program may lose their status or have its benefits somewhat curtailed. Orange County <br />should pursue a memorandum of understanding(s) (MOU) with its neighbors regarding <br />the VAD program or request that the municipalities adopt their own program. <br />Markets-Connecting Local Producers with Local Buyers <br />Farming is a business driven by individual investment decisions; profits are directly linked to <br />sales. Some local farmers have found success selling direct--through farm stands and farmers <br />markets. Other farmers prefer selling at a larger scale, working with wholesale distributors <br />rather than individual consumers. Large-scale farmers, who sell almost exclusively to wholesale <br />buyers, tend to suffer more from changes in commodity programs than those who sell directly. <br />The ability to keep large areas of working lands under cultivation will be dependent on finding <br />profitable markets for these conventional farmers. <br />The Internet is becoming an increasingly important tool for local farmers, and compared with <br />many agricultural counties, Orange is behind the times. Orange County is home to a number of <br />institutional markets including two local school systems (Orange County and Chapel Hill- <br />Carrboro), the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the UNC-CH Hospital system. <br />Duke University and its associated hospital are within easy commuting distance. To date, <br />however, Orange County has been unable to develop the infrastructure (brokering and <br />cooperative) needed to utilize this substantial food system. If agriculture is to reach the level of <br />profitability needed to ensure its long-term survival, farmers must tap into this market. <br />Draft 6/1/2009 Challenges to Agriculture 19 <br />