§ 48-6. Creation of voluntary agricultural districts and enhanced voluntary agricultural districts.

(a)

Regions. Orange County is hereby divided into seven Agricultural District Regions that will become effective upon implementation as provided in this Section. The boundaries of each Region are identified as follows and are depicted on the map which is Exhibit A to this Ordinance:

(1)

Cedar Grove,

(2)

High Rock/Efland,

(3)

Cane Creek/Buckhorn,

(4)

White Cross,

(5)

New Hope,

(6)

Schley/Eno,

(7)

Caldwell.

(b)

Implementation.

(1)

In order to implement the purposes stated in Section 48-3, this program provides for the creation of Voluntary Agricultural Districts that meet the following standard:

(2)

The District or Enhanced District shall consist of a minimum of one or more Certified Qualifying Farms.

(3)

Farmland that does not meet the minimum acreage requirement to be certified but that meets all other certification qualifications may be added to an existing District or Enhanced District upon execution by the owner and the recording of a conservation agreement between the County and the owner.

(4)

All land enrolled in a Region, defined in Section 48-6(a), above, shall be part of a single district, whether enrolled in the District or the Enhanced District. If a single farm has acreage in two or more regions, the farm shall participate in the district where the largest acreage is found. All land in a region as defined in Section 48-6(a), above, shall be treated as a single district whether enrolled in the District or the Enhanced District.

(c)

Education. The County may take such action as it deems appropriate through the Board or other entities or individuals to encourage the formation of the Districts or the Enhanced Districts and to further their purposes and objectives, including the implementation of public information programs to reasonably inform landowners of the agricultural district program.

(d)

Addition and withdrawal.

(1)

Qualifying farmland in a Region shall be added to the Agricultural District as provided in this Ordinance.

(2)

In the event that one or more Certified Qualifying Farms in the Agricultural District withdraws and the acreage in the District or Enhanced District becomes less than the minimum acreage required or results in the remaining land being noncontiguous, any Agricultural District will continue to exist so long as there is one Certified Qualifying Farm in the Agricultural District.

(Ord. of 03-24-1992, Art. VI, eff. 04-01-1992; Amend. of 04-17-2000, eff. 04-17-2000; Amend. of 06-23-2005, eff. 06-23-2005; Amend. of 04-20-2010, eff. 04-20-2010)