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2 <br /> The Orange County Agricultural Preservation Board reviewed the findings of the staff <br /> assessments for the attached applications for the Orange County Voluntary Agricultural District <br /> program at the September and November 2019 meetings. All farm applications were reviewed <br /> and verified to have met or exceeded the minimum criteria for certification into the program. <br /> The Agricultural Preservation Board voted unanimously to recommend approval of the <br /> certification for seven (7) farms, and their inclusion in the Voluntary and/or the Enhanced <br /> Voluntary Agricultural District program. The certification documentation is on file in the <br /> DEAPR/Soil and Water Conservation District office. The farms are described briefly below: <br /> Brief Farm Descriptions: <br /> 1) Owner Richard Jude Samulski (Scuppernong Estates LLC/ Eno River Farm) has submitted <br /> an application to enroll one (1) parcel of land totaling 178.18 acres as qualifying farmland for <br /> the Voluntary Agricultural District program (VAD) in the Schley/Eno Agricultural District. The <br /> farm operation includes strawberries and blueberry production, hay land and managed <br /> woodland. Since 1992, a 150-acre portion of the farm has been enrolled in the VAD <br /> program under the prior ownership of the Barbour family. Mr. Samulski is requesting an <br /> ownership change to the existing acreage and adding an additional 28.18 acres to be <br /> enrolled in the program. The farm has been evaluated against each of the VAD certification <br /> requirement standards and meets or exceeds all of the measures above; <br /> 2) Owners Manley and Kathy Palmer (Palmer Family Show Pigs) have submitted an application <br /> to enroll one (1) of parcel of land totaling 3.39 acres as qualifying farmland for the Voluntary <br /> Agricultural District (VAD) program in the Caldwell Agricultural District. The farm operation <br /> includes sheep, swine, and pasture. The farm has been evaluated against each of the VAD <br /> certification requirement standards and meets or exceeds all of the measures above; <br /> 3) Owners William and Amanda Berry have submitted an application to enroll seven (7) parcels <br /> of land totaling of 236.15 acres as qualifying farmland for the Voluntary Agricultural District <br /> (VAD) program located in the Caldwell Agricultural District. The farm includes beef cattle, <br /> pasture, and managed woodland. The farm has been evaluated against each of the VAD <br /> certification requirement standards and meets or exceeds all of the measures above; <br /> 4) Owner Portia McKnight (Chapel Hill Creamery) has submitted an application to enroll one (1) <br /> parcel of land totaling 12.17 acres as qualifying farmland for the Voluntary Agricultural <br /> District (VAD) program in the White Cross Agricultural District. The farm operation includes <br /> dairy cattle, pasture, hay crops, and managed woodland. This acreage will be added to their <br /> existing parcels in the VAD program. The farm has been evaluated against each of the VAD <br /> certification requirement standards and meets or exceeds all of the measures above; <br /> 5) Owners James and Elizabeth Hooten have submitted an application to enroll four (4) parcels <br /> of land totaling of 38.09 acres as qualifying farmland for the Voluntary Agricultural District <br /> (VAD) program located in the Cane Creek/Buckhorn Agricultural District. The farm includes <br /> beef cattle, pasture, and hay crops. The farm has been evaluated against each of the VAD <br /> certification requirement standards and meets or exceeds all of the measures above; <br /> 6) Owner Jason Shepherd has submitted an application to enroll one (1) parcel of land totaling <br /> 42.38 acres as qualifying farmland for the Voluntary Agricultural District (VAD) program in <br /> the High Rock/Efland Agricultural District. The farm operation includes soybeans, hay crops, <br />