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52 <br />1 a. The County already ensures that notice requirements under the Voluntary Agricultural <br />2 District ordinance are followed in the County's land records system, with posted <br />3 notices and maps in the tax office, and with identification signage for enrolled farms. <br />4 b. Address infrastructure needs outlined in farmer surveys. The County should work with <br />5 the North Carolina Department of Transportation on road maintenance priorities and <br />6 signage near farm operations. <br />7 c.The County could also create a "neighbor relations" packet for distribution to new <br />8 county residents by the Chambers of Commerce, Visitors Bureau, tax office, etc. This <br />9 can also be made available to farmers wishing to further educate their neighbors on <br />10 farming operations. <br />11 d. Provide real estate brokers and lawyers with Voluntary Agricultural District maps, the <br />12 above "neighbor relations" packet, and printed disclosure notices of agricultural <br />13 operations and encourage them to share these materials with their clients. <br />14 e. Create an easy to understand brochure on the realities of living in agricultural areas <br />15 and make available for distribution, and add such information to the County website. <br />16 f. Encourage respect for farm properly. <br />17 g. Set up local arbitration referral program for farm-neighbor disputes. Pre-litigation <br />18 mediation of farm nuisance suits is required in North Carolina.30 <br />19 h. Encourage municipalities to seek input from the Agricultural Preservation Board or the <br />20 other County agricultural advisory boards when developing and revising local <br />21 ordinances. It may be useful to establish some sort of forum for discussing proposed <br />22 regulations changes, in order to identify the potential for unintended negative <br />23 consequences for farmers, before they are adopted. <br />24 i. Work with the County Animal Control Division of Animal Services to examine, and <br />25 where appropriate amend, regulations that may have a negative impact on commercial <br />26 farmers. <br />27 <br />28 2. Continue Support for Technical Assistance to Farm Operations. The Agricultural <br />29 Preservation Board should stay up to date on the various services offered to farmers by <br />30 Cooperative Extension, the Soil and Water Conservation District, NRCS and FSA. All <br />31 agencies should have cross-referenced materials on these services with contact information <br />32 for new and existing county farmers. <br />33 <br />34 3. Develop a Single Clearing-House Information Source for current agricultural topics, such as <br />35 federal, state and local regulations that may impact farmers (including new legislation), <br />36 agricultural programs, and events sponsored by Orange County and/or for local farmers in <br />37 conjunction with the Orange County Farms website. <br />38 <br />39 <br />30 NCGS §7A-38.3. <br />©raft 11/0912009 Action Steps to Ensure a Viable Agricultural Community 41 <br />