Gates County has a long history of agriculture, forestry, and rural land use. The Gates County Voluntary Agricultural District (VAD) program is designed to recognize and support the important role that agriculture plays in our community.

A Voluntary Agricultural District is an area of qualifying agricultural land that landowners voluntarily enroll in a county agricultural district program. The program is part of North Carolina's Farmland Preservation efforts and is supported by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS) Farmland Preservation Division.

The purpose of the VAD program is to encourage the continued use of land for agriculture, strengthen the agricultural community, and help reduce conflicts between agricultural operations and surrounding non-farm development.

Participation in a VAD is voluntary. It does not mean that the county is taking ownership of the property, nor does it prevent landowners from owning, selling, or managing their property. Instead, it is a way for landowners to voluntarily identify and support land that is important to Gates County's agricultural future.

North Carolina law specifically states that the purpose of agricultural districts is to increase identity and pride in the agricultural community and its way of life and to decrease the likelihood of legal disputes, including nuisance actions between farm owners and their neighbors, and other negative impacts on properly managed farms. N.C.G.S. § 106-738(b).

Agriculture is a working industry. Farms are businesses that depend on the ability to carry out normal agricultural activities throughout the year.

Agricultural activities can sometimes be noticeable to people living near farms. Depending on the type of farming operation and time of year, neighbors and visitors may experience:

• Farm equipment and machinery operating early in the morning or late in the evening
• Tractor and truck traffic on rural roads
• Dust from tillage, harvesting, and farm roads
• Noise from tractors, combines, irrigation systems, grain handling, and other equipment
• Odors associated with livestock, manure, fertilizers, compost, and other agricultural activities
• Manure storage, handling, hauling, and land application
• Spraying and other crop production activities
• Harvest activities that occur during narrow weather or crop windows
• Lights, equipment, and other activities associated with agricultural operations

These activities are a normal part of a working agricultural community. Agricultural operations may not always operate according to the same schedules as residential properties because planting, harvesting, livestock care, weather conditions, and other farm activities are often dictated by biological and environmental conditions.

Before You Build or Buy Near Agricultural Land

Before purchasing or developing property near agricultural land, prospective landowners should consider:

What agricultural activities occur nearby?

Could farm equipment regularly travel past the property?

Could agricultural odors, dust, or noise occur?

Are livestock, poultry, or other agricultural operations nearby?

Could manure or fertilizer be applied to nearby fields?

Could agricultural activities change throughout the year?

Understanding these possibilities before purchasing property can help prevent misunderstandings between neighbors and support positive relationships between farm and non-farm landowners.

The goal of the VAD program is not to create conflict between farmers and their neighbors. Rather, it helps recognize the importance of agriculture and encourages awareness and understanding of the realities of living in a working agricultural community.

The Gates County Voluntary Agricultural District and Enhanced Voluntary Agricultural District Ordinance was adopted to promote agricultural values and the general welfare of Gates County. The ordinance specifically identifies goals including increasing identity and pride in the agricultural community, encouraging the economic and financial health of agriculture, horticulture, and forestry, and increasing protection from non-farm development and other negative impacts on properly managed farms.

The VAD program is one tool available to communities to recognize and support working agricultural lands. It is part of a broader statewide effort by NCDA&CS to preserve North Carolina's agricultural land and agricultural economy.

For more information about North Carolina's Voluntary Agricultural District program:
NCDA&CS Voluntary Agricultural District Program

For information about Gates County's VAD program:
Contact the Gates County Cooperative Extension Center or Gates County Soil and Water Conservation District.

Applications can be found at the Gates County Cooperative Extension office or found on this page online. For questions, please contact Sarah Richardson or Paul Smith at Gates County Cooperative Extension, or Matt Lowe at Gates County Soil & Water Conservation.