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R 7 the Forsythe County program. There are 92 farms on the waiting list to be funded in Forsythe County and that program has been very well received by the farmers in that County. She repeated that the PDR program is completely voluntary and the development rights will be held in a public trust protected by a recorded easement that cannot be violated or broken in the future by other Boards or citizens. Only the farmer has the right, after 25 years, to change the development restrictions by buying the development rights back at market value. The farmer could also be counseled, through the Planning Department, to establish the best payment plan for him or herself. Installments could be paid over many years in order to ease the burden of estate taxes or capital gains. The five million dollar bond goes purely toward the purchase of farmland. No administrative costs are included in that figure. She mentioned that if a farmer can no longer farm the land and cannot find anyone to lease it, several options are available. It can be turned into managed or unnmanaged forest. The agricultural rights could be sold. One other feature of this proposal is that four residences could be placed on each 100 acres. This would allow minifarms or clustered lots with open space. The rights could also be sold to a Conservancy for protection or the County for a park. Farms are evaluated on quality and productivity, continued economic viability, level of development pressures, and the natural scenic and historic resources as determined by the LESA system. Agricultural value receives the greatest weight, which assures that the best farmland will qualify for purchase. The acreage committed to the program will be taxed under the Use Value for farmland. She asked that PDR be viewed as a timely, financially competitive alternative for farmers to choose. Elizabeth Walters, a farmer and member of the Agricultural Districts Advisory Board, stated that Dolly did an excellent job presenting the Advisory Board's thoughts on the program. She mentioned that in 1990 the Federal Government passed the Farms of the Future Act. North Carolina was the only state in the southeast region to pass legislation to qualify for those federal funds. Under this program the Federal Government will put in two dollars for every dollar that the state provides for the purchase of PDR. The local government must also have matching funds. Vermont has received all of the money for this program to date. However, Orange County could qualify for this money if the State of North Carolina receives any of these funds. She requested that the County adopt a PDR program that awards points for farmers in agricultural districts. She feels the County should take the necessary steps to qualify for funds available to the state of North Carolina and to the counties. The North Carolina legislature set up provisions for the Preservation Trust Fund in 1991. It is important to provide a link with the program. Eventually, points for farms in agricultural districts will need to be implemented in order to qualify for this program. Future Farms of America funds can only be used in rural areas of the county. Local funds could be used to purchase farms that did not qualify as rural. She urged the Board to consider the Farms of the Future provision and support the Purchase Of Development Rights proposal.