HomeMy WebLinkAboutAPB Meeting Summary 01212026 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
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recaptured PUV deferred taxes for farmland preservation. This was approved in Wake County,
where the county commissioners must annually approve allocating a specific amount of the
recaptured funds to farmland preservation each year. The APB will need to make their case to
the BOCC for a similar measure as recommended in our new plan. Perrin thanked Hall for a
good program, helpful answers and all the work she's done on the audit process. We'll be
working to develop a similar process to monitor the farms enrolled in our VAD farms.
6. Items for Decision:
a) Final Draft of the Ag Viability and Farmland Stewardship Plan: Chair Hughes asked for a
motion to approve our final draft plan. We can then move it forward to the BOCC for final
acceptance. This version was generated when the subcommittee met again in November to
review it one last time, as per APB instructions. That group made some edits and concluded
that this revised plan reflects the full spirit of our original plan. Staff will develop a draft
letter or preface that distills the issues for the BOCC as they consider this final plan. Ranells
moved to approve this new final draft, seconded by Compton; motion carried.
7. Discussion Items:
a) VAD Program Update: Perrin referred members to the handout. She expects to have
several farms ready to share at our March meeting. They will then be presented to the
BOCC in April. The Ag Summit is coming up on Feb. 161". She reviewed our recent VAD
Breakfast at Chestnut Ridge to get a sense of what the APB would like to do for 2026. The
goal is to bring together all the VAD landowners, to thank them and to share new/current
information with them. Some members would like to have more time to visit with other
attendees. There was a general sense that it was too much to try to have the board meeting
on the same morning. Members complimented the food and the venue. After discussion,
there was a consensus that Chestnut Ridge was a good location. Their staff handles a good
amount of the set-up work, which helps our staff. Discussion followed about the
lengths/topics of the presentations. Members found the content helpful and enjoyed having
the presentation about a VAD farm by the farm owners. One idea was for a presentation by
our local horse logger, Patrick Flanagan (601) 917-3276.
b) Annual Report and Work Plan: This had to be submitted on Jan. 161". Our report will be
presented by the chair at the upcoming Feb. 101" BOCC Work Session.
c) Proposed Subcommittee for educational initiatives: We're looking for volunteers willing to
serve on a subcommittee to develop a vision and goals for ways to better educate the
general public/policy makers about the importance of agriculture to the county. Members
noted that most folks don't know the APB exists. Fabian, Neff and Rose offered to
volunteer. Staff noted that Hooten and Miller and Weitzel had also expressed interest.
8. Informational Items/Updates:
a. Grant application for Cost of Community Services Study: Staff provided an update on the
county's grant application, which was submitted in December, to seek $14,000 for a new
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study, to update/replace our last one, done in 2006. Dr. Jeffrey Dorfman with NCSU's Dept.
of Agricultural and Resource Economics can start this fall if we get the grant.
b. Extension and Ag Economic Development activities: Staff presented a brief summary
provided by Mike Ortosky, who couldn't attend this meeting. The Ag Grant program
continues to be a success, awarding 5 additional grants totaling $47,435. To date, they've
awarded 142 grants totaling just over $1.1 million. Extension is waiting to hear about their
grant application to Golden Leaf for their agrivoltaics project at Breeze Farm.
c. Membership: Staff asked members for suggestions for a good candidate for our one at-
large position that will soon be vacated due to that member not being able to attend.
9. Time for Information Sharing: Parker, Thompson and Hall reported on their attendance at the
recent American Farm Bureau annual meeting in California, as delegates from NC. They
heard from speakers from all over the country, with helpful programs about FSA and NRCS.
The county extension agent there gave a program about the changes to ag in their Orange
County. The original Disneyland was once surrounded by orange groves. That county had
the largest ag revenue of any county in the nation at one time. Our sprawl is nothing
compared to what they're experiencing. NC has the second largest number of Farm Bureau
members.
10. Adjournment: Totten moved to adjourn, seconded by Ranells; meeting adjourned at 8:11 pm.
Meeting summary by Peter Sandbeck