Agenda - 06-04-1981 - Laserfiche WebLink

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H- Currently there are many factors which make it increasingly difficult for farming to remain economically viable. A majority of Orange County dairy farms are located in rapidly growing Bingham and Chapel Hill townships. Others are located in the potential growth corridor in the center of the County, between Hillsborough and Mebane. The large capital investment and land needs of dairy farming make it particularly sensitive to rising land values and property taxes wh!..ch tend to accompany non-farm develop- . ment in farming areas. Urban growth-induced projects such as reservoirs and highways, have created apprehensions about their full impact on near- by farming areas. Capital investments in farm structures and equipment, necessary to improve productivity and remain competitive, tend to be in- hibited under these general circumstances. Farms generate odors and dust both from plowed fields and chemicals which may be spread on those fields. This "pollution" can and does bring nuisance complaints from new subdivisions nearby. The swine industry is the most vulnerable of all County agriculture to nuisance complaints. Most, if not all, swine operations are located away from County growth areas however. Hence the industry is not as vulnerable to nuisance com- plaints as it otherwise might be. Northern Orange County is part of a major tobacco growtng area that ex- tends north into Person and Caswell Counties. Tobacco farming, with its comparatively high revenue yiels per acre and its location away from the major growth areas in the County, remains a core of agricultural stab- ility. Potential, changes in federal tobacco policies and future market demand leave even this segment of agriculture with its uncerLainties. Poultry and egg operations are centered in the northeastern portion of the County. Future growth pressures from Durham and. Hillsborough may contribute to nuisance complaint problems for this industry. A. major survey of Orange County rural opinion, taken between November, 1978 and January, 1979 by Margaret Wat2 .ns of Duke University, reported that County farmers felt six significant constraints upon their farming future. The results are shown in Table 2-36: TABLE 2-36 CONSTRAINTS ON FUTURE FARMING TN ORANGE COUNTY CONSTRAINT PERCENT OF TIM CITED FAILURE TO PROFIT 37% OLD AGE 20% HIGH PROPERTY TAXES 11% RENTED LAND UNAVAILABLE . 10% POOR HEALTH 8% HIGH LAND PRICES 7W