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Orange County Agricultural Preservation Board Approved Meeting Summary: January 211% 2026 *** Bonnie Davis Center, 1020 US 70 West, Hillsborough *** 6:30 pm Members Present: Compton, Fabian, Hughes, Neff, Ranells, Rose, Thompson, Totten Members Absent: Hooten, Miller, Sykes, Taylor, Wagger, Weitzel, Woods Guests: Ashley Parker, Karen Stegman and Dana Hall (PUV Compliance Appraiser for Orange Co.) Staff: Jessica Perrin, Soil and Water Conservation Manager; Peter Sandbeck, Cult. Resources Coord. 1. Call to order: Chair Hughes called the meeting to order at 6:33 pm. 2. Chair Comments/Introductions: Guests Karen Stegman and Ashley Parker were introduced. 3. Considerations of Additions to Agenda: None 4. Meeting Summary/Minutes: Compton moved to approve the meeting summary for Nov. 19tn 2025, seconded by Thompson; motion carried. S. Presentation: Update/Progress report on PUV Audit: Dana Hall, the county's PUV Compliance Appraiser, provided an update on her work on the ongoing county-wide PUV audit. Her ultimate target is to audit at least 1/8t" of the PUV enrolled parcels in the county each year. Dana's handout offered a helpful breakdown with info about the land in PUV: Total number of parcels in county: 59,049, Currently enrolled in PUV: 3,077 Number PUV parcels in agriculture: 1,118, horticulture: 133;forestry: 1,826. Total PUV acreage: 109,299, in forestry: 60.8%, agriculture: 38.7%, horticulture: 0.4% There is also a new PUV category called "Wildlife Conservation" which requires a minimum of 20 acres; there are 15 parcels in that program. Her goal is to audit about 246 parcels each year. She handled 132 reviews in 2023, 139 in 2024 and 184 in 2025, so she's working toward that larger goal. She developed a spreadsheet of all the enrolled farms. They use a random generator to select the farms to be audited. The audit process begins with a letter to the owner, noting the parcels to be audited. Proof of income from farm operations is required for the last three years; also a current forestry management plan where relevant. There's also a process for leased land. Owners must prove an average income of at least $1,000 over a three- year period. The land can only lay idle without generating income for one year. Discussion followed surrounding PUV valuations regarding conservation easements and various soil types. Orange County uses a valuation number of$645/acre for agriculture, $890/acre for horticulture and $245/acre for forestry, as permitted in the state PUV manual. For information on the Wildlife Conservation piece of the PUV program, contact Kristin Cathey at (984) 335-0589 or kristen.cathev@ncwildlife.gov. Discussion moved to the topic of the possibility of using 7