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 />contributing to the local economy often summarized in the slogan "think globally, act locally." <br />Still others are looking for a farm connection, a way to teach children where food comes from <br />and an opportunity to experience the sense of community often associated with farming. <br />Equestrian programs such as horse boarding and training facilities provide another niche <br />industry for local farmers based on the suburban community. <br />Existing Farmland Protection Tools <br />Many of the challenges that local farmers face are not unique to Orange County. The American <br />Farmland Trust and other conservation organizations have spent over twenty years researching <br />different strategies to preserve productive farmland nationwide. Some of these tools require <br />special legislation not available in North Carolina, such as transfer of development rights (TDR), <br />but many are available and are already in use in Orange County. <br />State Right-to-Farm Law <br />By statute, North Carolina farmers are granted the right to farm without legal interference from <br />non-farm neighbors and local governing bodies, subject to certain limitations.13 Pre-litigation <br />mediation of farm nuisance claims is mandatory.14 The County should post information on the <br />Right-to-Farm law in County offices for public information, perhaps in conjunction with VAD <br />maps. <br />Present-Use Value Property Tax <br />Working farm, forest, and horticultural lands by state statute are afforded a property tax <br />assessment based on their agricultural working value, as opposed to their industrial or <br />residential development value. Agricultural designation is based on the North Carolina State <br />Use Value Law. The County Tax Assessors Office defines "qualifying" farmland based on certain <br />criteria such as acreage, soil type and use. Agricultural land requires ten acres of cropland and <br />average gross sales of $1,000 per year for the preceding three years. Some smaller tracts of <br />five acres may get use value with certain horticultural crops; forestry use requires twenty acres <br />and a plan on file with the Natural Resources Conservation Service or North Carolina Forest <br />Service.ls As of 2008, 2,666 parcels were enrolled in the Present Use Value program- <br />encompassing 109,463 acres, or 43% of Orange County's total land area. This assessment <br />affords farmers some amount of cost control that would otherwise limit their ability to farm <br />profitably. <br />In July 2008, the NC General Assembly passed a new provision of the Present-Use Value tax <br />program that will expand coverage to properties managed for wildlife and conservation use. <br />This may enable farmers to place additional lands not cultivated into Use Value, providing <br />additional tax relief. Some farmers may also wish to explore complementary programs to <br />supplement their income as part of a wildlife management program. Hunting clubs, for <br />example, will often pay an annual fee in exchange for the opportunity to hunt on farms of a <br />certain acreage. <br />The Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 (2008 Farm Bill) may also create new programs <br />for farmers related to energy--its production and its use. Information on funding is not yet <br />is NCGS §106-700 et seq. <br />is NCGS §7A-38.3. <br />is NCGS §105-277.2. <br />Draft 6/1/2009 Opportunities for Enhancing Agriculture in Orange County 24 <br />