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18 <br /> DRAFT/March 28,2025 <br /> 4. Opportunities for Agriculture in Orange County <br /> The challenges to agriculture in Orange County, while daunting, are not <br /> insurmountable. Opportunities for agriculture in the County could catalyze <br /> development of a strong agriculture that supports a robust local food system <br /> and contributes to the food and agricultural security that many Orange County <br /> residents seek. <br /> Orange County soils, climate, and water resources can support agriculture now <br /> and into the future. <br /> Located in the Piedmont of North Carolina, Orange County has soils, climate, <br /> and water resources that make it well suited for sustainable agriculture <br /> supporting the County's 2025-2029 Strategic Priorities of Environmental <br /> Protection and Climate Action (Orange County, 2009). Approximately three- <br /> fourths of the County's land area consists of Prime Farmland or Farmland of <br /> Statewide Importance. Prime Farmland is defined by the US Code of Federal <br /> Regulations as land that "has the best combination of physical and chemical <br /> characteristics for producing food, feed, forage, fiber, and oilseed crops, and is <br /> also available for these uses" (US Code of Federal Regulations, 2024). Farmland <br /> of Statewide Importance is defined as lands that are generally "nearly prime <br /> farmland and that economically produce high yields of crops when treated and <br /> managed according to acceptable farming methods" (US Code of Federal <br /> Regulations, 2024). The long growing season runs from mid-April to mid-October <br /> with the opportunity, with warmth-conserving measures, for extension to winter <br /> and early spring months. The County receives approximately 45 inches of rain <br /> annually. More than half of the County's 256,000 acres is forestland, which is an <br /> important carbon sink (Hurteau, 2021). <br /> Orange County has strong and growing communities of small, diversified farms <br /> and new and beginning farmers. <br /> Orange County in 2024 is home to a growing community of small, diversified <br /> farms that are critical for supporting the County's 2025-2029 Strategic Priorities of <br /> Environmental Protection and Climate Action and for developing local <br /> foodshed resilience. Agriculture in the County has transitioned over the past <br /> century from being dominated by traditional commodity farms growing <br /> tobacco and producing Grade A cow's milk to small farms (49 or fewer acres) <br /> producing a diversity of crops and livestock (Orange County, 2009). According <br /> to the 2022 USDA Agricultural Census (Agricultural Census, 2022), the top three <br /> crops in the County by sales are nursery/greenhouse/floriculture, <br /> grains/oilseeds/dry beans/dry peas, and vegetables/melons/potatoes/sweet <br /> potatoes. Poultry and eggs account for most livestock-related sales. One in five <br /> farms sells directly to customers. <br /> 16 <br />