Agriculture is a fundamental part of North Carolina’s history, culture, and economy. The quilt of our great state was once made up almost exclusively of farms and forests. Sadly, that quilt is fraying, as North Carolina’s population continues to grow, ranking second in the nation for agricultural land loss. The state is seeing rural lands converted or compromised, one subdivision and parking lot at a time. “The rural farm fields that have corn, cotton, soybeans, or other crops are North Carolina’s number one industry. Those same fields don’t require the expensive public infrastructure and services associated with a typical industry,” states Travis Morehead, Executive Director of Three Rivers Land Trust (TRLT).
Three Rivers Land Trust (TRLT) is proud to support local farmers and their efforts to farm, through conservation. Recently, TRLT conserved a 157-acre farm on the Cabarrus-Union County line. This family farm has been permanently conserved with grant funding from the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and will now permanently be a part of NC’s agricultural landscape.
“The newly conserved farm connects to a 317-acre farm that TRLT had previously conserved in the early 2000’s. Now, 474 contiguous acres are protected from development in one of the fastest growing areas of the state, if not the country,” said Kyle Shores, Senior Land Protection Specialist, with TRLT. “It is always a good day at work when you see a family farm permanently conserved.”
The permanent protection of this farm supports North Carolina’s number one industry and helps conserve the rural character that is still found in the area. “I have heard it said that every parcel of land is headed in one of two directions, towards conservation or towards development. Thanks to this landowner’s decision, this parcel will be permanently conserved,” states Travis Morehead, TRLT Executive Director.