Orange County NC Website
13 <br /> (2) Be used for bona fide farm purposes, as that term is defined in G.S. 106-743.4(a) and <br /> G.S. 160D-903; <br /> (3) Be in accordance with the minimum size requirements, which are as follows: <br /> (a) Consist of at least (i) one contiguous acre of land in production for horticultural or <br /> agricultural purposes; or (ii) at least twenty total acres of land under management for <br /> forestry; <br /> (b) In the event that a landowner has multiple tracts of qualifying farmland that are <br /> eligible, and those tracts are located within one mile or less of each other, then they <br /> may comprise a Voluntary Agricultural District. <br /> (4) Be managed in accordance with the Natural Resources Conservation Service and N.C. <br /> Division of Soil and Water Conservation defined erosion-control practices and have a <br /> current conservation farm plan and/or forestry management plan associated with the <br /> current usages and owner; and <br /> (5) Be the subject of a conservation agreement, as defined in N.C. Gen. Stat. § 121-35, <br /> between the County and the owner of such land that prohibits non-farm use or <br /> development of such land for a period of at least ten years, except for the creation of <br /> not more than three lots that meet applicable County zoning and subdivision <br /> regulations. <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 its regular meeting in May, 2022. All farm applications were reviewed and verified to <br /> have met or exceeded the minimum criteria for certification into the program. <br /> The Agricultural Preservation Board voted to recommend approval of the certification for these <br /> five (5) farms, and their inclusion in the Voluntary and/or the Enhanced Voluntary Agricultural <br /> District programs. 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) Owners Jeanne and Larry Crabtree have submitted an application to enroll one (1) parcel of <br /> land totaling 14.46 acres as qualifying farmland for the Voluntary Agricultural District (VAD) <br /> in the Caldwell Agricultural District. The farm operation includes corn and soybeans. <br /> 2) Owner Jennifer Noah, Trustee of Sarah A. Clayton Trust, has submitted an application to <br /> enroll one (1) parcel of land totaling 14.46 acres as qualifying farmland for the Voluntary <br /> Agricultural District (VAD) in the Caldwell Agricultural District. The farm operation includes <br /> corn and soybeans. <br /> 3) Owners Richard and Jamie Holcomb of Coon Rock Farm have submitted an application to <br /> enroll three (3) parcels of land totaling 42.77 acres as qualifying farmland for the Voluntary <br /> Agricultural District (VAD) program in the New Hope Agricultural District. The farm operation <br /> includes vegetable production, pasture, and managed forestry and woodland. <br /> 4) Owners Glenn and Payton Rose have submitted an application to enroll one (1) parcel of <br /> land totaling 19.51 acres as qualifying farmland for the Voluntary Agricultural District (VAD) <br />