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runty may create agricultural districts http: / /www. news - record .com /news /local/farmsl7rk.htm <br />3 development in northeast Guilford. <br />"People think they like what the <br />countryside has to offer," said Elaine <br />Fryar, president of the Guilford County <br />Farm Bureau. "They think farming is <br />very romantic, so they move out to the <br />country. And when they get there, they <br />find out farming is not so romantic. We <br />want people to know that when they <br />move out to a farming area, you get <br />what comes with farming." <br />What comes with farming may be the <br />dust of a plow, the late -night noise of <br />irrigation pumps or the slow- moving <br />pace of a tractor on a busy two -lane <br />road. Fryar, who lives on a northeast <br />Guilford farm with her husband, Gerald, <br />says her family has great neighbors. <br />What worries her, she said, is the next <br />person who- moves in might not be so <br />cheery about being close to a farm. <br />That's where the proposed law comes <br />in. <br />Under the plan, farmers must own land <br />that meets certain criteria, such as the <br />size and tax - status of the property. If so, <br />they could turn their land into an <br />agricultural district if they agree not to <br />develop most of the property for at least <br />10 years. <br />In exchange, they could benefit in at <br />least three ways: <br />The county would mark the districts on <br />county maps and display those maps in <br />public places. The county may also put <br />road signs marking the districts. That <br />way, farmers will have more confidence <br />that incoming neighbors have been <br />alerted to the presence of active farms. <br />The county would form an agricultural <br />advisory board, giving farmers a greater <br />say about issues affecting farmland <br />preservation and the rural economy. <br />The county may waive water and sewer <br />, _r e 8/23/2000 8:31 AM <br />