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3. Be certified by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) of the United <br />States Department of Agriculture as being a farm on which at least two- thirds of <br />the land is composed of soils that: <br />a. Are best suited for providing food, seed, fiber, forage, timber, forestry <br />products, horticultural crops and oil seed crops; <br />b. Have good soil qualities; <br />c. Are favorable for all major crops common to the county where the land is <br />located; <br />d. Have a favorable growing season; and <br />e. Receive the available moisture needed to produce high yields for an <br />average of eight out of ten years; <br />OR at least two - thirds of the land has been actively used in agricultural, <br />horticultural or forestry operations as defined by N.C.G.S. §105 -277.2 (17 27 3) <br />during each of the five previous years, measured from the date on which the <br />determination must be made as to whether the land in question qualifies; <br />4. Be managed, if highly erodible land exists on the farm, in accordance with the <br />Natural Resources Conservation Service defined erosion - control practices that <br />are addressed to said highly - erodible land; and <br />5. Be the subject of a non - binding conservation agreement, as defined in N.C.G.S. <br />§121 -35, between the County and the owner that prohibits non -farm use or <br />development of such land for a period of at least ten years, except for the creation <br />of not more than three lots that meet applicable County zoning and subdivision <br />regulations. <br />At the January, March, and May 2015 meetings, the Orange County Agricultural <br />Preservation Board reviewed the findings of the staff assessments for the attached <br />applications for the Orange County Voluntary Agricultural District program. All farm <br />applications were reviewed and verified to have met or exceeded the minimum criteria for <br />certification into the program. The Agricultural Preservation Board voted unanimously to <br />recommend approval of the certification for the seven (7) farms and 1,347 acres of <br />farmland and their inclusion in the Voluntary and /or Enhanced Voluntary Agricultural <br />District program. The certification documentation is on file in the DEAPR /Soil and Water <br />Conservation District office. The farms are described briefly below: <br />Brief Farm Descriptions: <br />1) The owners of the Whitted Bowers Farm, Robert and Cheri W. Bowers, have submitted <br />an application to enroll one (1) parcel of land totaling 51.24 acres as qualifying <br />farmland for the Enhanced Voluntary Agricultural District program (EVAD) in the Cedar <br />Grove Agricultural District. The farm operation includes vegetables and fruit crops such <br />as strawberries, blueberries, and tomatoes. The farm also includes managed <br />forestry/woodland acres. The Whitted Bowers Farm has been evaluated against each <br />of the EVAD certification requirement standards and meets or exceeds all of the <br />measures above. <br />2) The owner of the Elysian Fields Farm, Elise Bortz, <br />has submitted <br />an application to <br />enroll one <br />(1) parcel of land totaling 43.65 acres <br />as qualifying <br />farmland for the <br />Enhanced <br />Voluntary Agricultural District (EVAD) <br />program in the Cedar Grove <br />Agricultural <br />District. The farm operation is comprised of tomatoes, <br />mixed vegetable <br />production <br />crops, and managed forestry/woodland. <br />The Bortz <br />farm has been <br />