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23 <br /> FINAL DRAFT-5-27-26 <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—one of <br /> the major goals of 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. [Photo 6] Prime Farmland is defined by the US Code of <br /> Federal Regulations as land that "has the best combination of physical and <br /> chemical characteristics for producing food, feed, forage, fiber, and oilseed <br /> crops, and is also available for these uses" (US Code of Federal Regulations, <br /> 2024). Farmland of Statewide Importance is defined as lands that are generally <br /> "nearly prime farmland and that economically produce high yields of crops <br /> when treated and managed according to acceptable farming methods" (US <br /> Code of Federal Regulations, 2024). The long growing season runs from mid-April <br /> to mid-October with the opportunity, with warmth-conserving measures, for <br /> extension to winter and early spring months. The County receives approximately <br /> 45 inches of rain annually. More than half of the County's 256,000 acres is <br /> forestland, which is an 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 grains, <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. [Photo 7] <br /> 21 <br />