Orange County NC Website
1 The County may take such action as it deems appropriate through the Board or other entities <br />2 or individuals to encourage the formation of the Districts and to further their purposes and <br />3 objectives, including the implementation of public information programs to reasonably <br />4 inform landowners of the agricultural district program. <br />5 <br />6 D. Addition and Withdrawal <br />7 <br />8 1. Qualifying farmland shall be added to a Voluntary Agricultural District as provided <br />9 in this Ordinance. <br />10 <br />11 2. In the event that one or more Certified Qualifying Farms in the District withdraws <br />12 and the acreage in the District becomes less than the minimum acreage required, a <br />13 Voluntary Agricultural District will continue to exist so long as there is one Certified <br />14 Qualifying Farm in the District. <br />15 <br />16 ARTICLE VII <br />17 CERTIFICATION AND QUALIFICATION OF FARMLAND <br />18 <br />19 A. Requirements <br />20 <br />21 To secure County certification as qualifying farmland (Certified Qualifying Farm), a farm must: <br />22 <br />23 1. Consist of a minimum of 20 contiguous acres; <br />24 <br />25 2. Be participating in the farm present - use -value taxation program established by <br />26 N.C.G.S. §105 -277.2 through §105- 277.7, or is otherwise determined by the county <br />27 to meet all the qualifications of this program set forth in G.S. 105 -277.3 ; <br />28 <br />29 3. Be certified by the Natural Resources Conservation Service of the United States <br />30 Department of Agriculture as being a farm on which at least two- thirds of the land is <br />31 composed of soils that: <br />32 <br />33 a. Are best suited for providing food, seed, fiber, forage, timber, forestry <br />34 products, horticultural crops and oil seed crops; <br />35 <br />36 b. Have good soil qualities; <br />37 . <br />38 c. Are favorable for all major crops common to the county where the land is <br />39 located; <br />40 <br />41 d. Have a favorable growing season; and <br />42 <br />43 e. Receive the available moisture needed to produce high yields for an average <br />44 of eight out of ten years; <br />6 <br />