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The VAD program became part of the <br />solution. The Chatham County Board of <br />Commissioners approved the Voluntary <br />Agricultural District Ordinance on <br />November 5, 2001. Now, when a new <br />county resident is preparing to purchase <br />real estate within one mile of a farm <br />enrolled in the VAD program, the purchaser <br />must be notified that a farm is nearby and <br />of the associated factors. This way they are <br />forewarned of the farming operation and if <br />they decide the farm is a nuisance after <br />purchasing the real estate, they have lost <br />their legal right to sue. <br />Chatham County farmers have been more <br />than willing to embrace the program: 175 <br />farms, totaling more than 21,000 acres, <br />have been approved for membership. <br />Currently, two - thirds of the county is within <br />one mile of an enrolled farm. <br />In April 2002, Siler City, the largest town in the <br />county, began to take steps to increase its <br />extra - territorial jurisdiction (ETJ) to the limits <br />allowed by the General Assembly. This would <br />put many farms under the town's planning and <br />zoning control. The town assured the farming <br />community that this would not affect how it <br />managed operations, but there was a great deal <br />of alarm among the farmers. Regulations and <br />changes that farmers have faced over the past <br />several years have created mistrust between the <br />farm community and the town of Siler City. As a <br />token of good faith, the Town board of Siler City <br />unanimously passed a resolution in November <br />2002, honoring the county's ordinance to <br />ensure protection of the farmers in the ETJ. This <br />was the first municipality in the state to go on <br />record in support of VAD provisions. <br />Bobby Joe Gambill, Alleghany County dairy farmer <br />The ordinance protects enrolled farmers from <br />the cost of implementing public services, <br />such as water and sewer lines. Any cost share <br />charged to a landowner for implementation of <br />these practices has to be held in abeyance for <br />farmers enrolled in the program. The town is <br />not required to abide by this condition under <br />the county ordinance, but with its own <br />resolution it chose to respect the limitations <br />and conditions. <br />What has made the Voluntary Agricultural <br />District Ordinance so popular in Chatham <br />County? The ordinance was written and <br />promoted not as a way to protect farmland, <br />but as a way to protect farmers. Developers <br />and promoters of this program followed the <br />philosophy that if you protect and take care of <br />the farmers, you will protect and take care of <br />the farmland. With this attitude among all <br />parties, this segment of our attempt to protect <br />farmland has been successful in Chatham. <br />The View from the Heartland: Sampson County <br />By George Upton, Cooperative Extension Director <br />Rapid residential growth has driven many <br />counties in the Mountains and Piedmont to <br />adopt farmland preservation ordinances, <br />while, with slower economic growth and <br />less population density, VAD programs have <br />developed more slowly in the eastern areas <br />of the state. Sampson County, however, <br />nestled in the heart of North Carolina field <br />crop and livestock country, has developed <br />an active program. <br />With some help from the county attorney, <br />the commissioners gradually became <br />comfortable with the idea of the program <br />and have since been very supportive. We all <br />realize how important agriculture is to <br />± t & > a _* 5-.d <br />Anierican Fctz•rnhand, Trust, <br />Southeast Regional Office <br />24 Court Square NW, Suite 203 • Graham, NC 27253 <br />336 - 221 -0707 - www.farmland.org <br />