I attended a meeting earlier this week that dealt with farmland preservation. As I listened to the many speakers share information about various issues related to preserving farmlands, protecting the environment, and urban sprawl, I could not help thinking about how much Robeson County has changed since I first moved here over 35 years ago.

When I first moved here, there was no doubt that this was a rural county. A large majority of the people I met was involved with farming in one way or another. If they were not actually farmers, at least some of the members of their immediate family were farmers. Many of them owned a farm, or several farms, and rented the farms for others to tend, but they were on their farms frequently and had almost daily interaction with the farmers tending their land. If they were not this closely related to production agriculture, they at least worked in one of the many businesses in the county that relied heavily on farmers and farm families for the bulk of their sales, and they made a special effort to let those customers know they appreciated their business.

Everywhere you went in the county, almost all you could see were farmlands and farmsteads. The landscape was made up almost entirely of field after field of corn, soybeans, tobacco, cotton, or wheat; broken only by forests and swamps. Once you left Lumberton or any of the smaller towns in the county, most of the houses you would see were the homes of farmers, their family members, or families that helped them on the farm.

Today things are much different. This is still the largest county in the state with the largest number of acres of farmland. It is still a rural county, but it is nothing like it was 35 years ago.

Even though things are changing in Robeson County, I would be the first to admit that they are not changing as quickly or as drastically as they are in the major metropolitan areas of the state. Cities like Raleigh, Charlotte, Greensboro, and even Fayetteville have experienced tremendous growth during recent years. In addition to commercial and industrial development, new homes have been built everywhere. Not only are these cities getting crowded, the areas around these cites that used to be rural areas are getting crowded.

The rural areas of Robeson County are getting crowded as well. It is getting crowded with people who not only are not farmers but they know nothing at all about farming or rural life.

So as I listened to the speakers and thought about the changes I have seen in this county, it was obvious to me that Robeson County is no different from these other counties. We are experiencing the very same problems, just at a much slower rate. We are losing farmlands to residential development. Our property taxes are increasing and putting tremendous pressure on rural properties. Rural properties are almost becoming too valuable to farm, especially when you consider the tremendous cost of farm production and the low prices paid for most of the commodities produced in this county.

There are a large number of people who currently own farms in these fast-changing areas that want to keep their farms in agriculture. They value the culture and heritage of rural America, and they want to do something to make sure future generations at least have a chance to develop the same values. They love the environment, and they want to protect it. They want to feel as if they have done their part to make sure their grandchildren and their grandchildren's grandchildren still have an abundance of safe, healthy foods; clean water to drink; and clean air to breath.

The primary reason for the meeting I attended was to explain the provisions of House Bill 207, which was passed in 2005 establishing the Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund (ADFP). Over $8 million was appropriated to help farm owners keep their farms as working farms. Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler has taken a very strong stance of assisting farm owners and has directed his agency to network with the many other groups and agencies across the state that have the same agenda.

The ADFP was developed to help purchase agricultural conservation easements and agreements on agricultural, horticultural, and forestlands and to fund programs that promote the development, transition, and/or sustainability of these lands. This program will make the implementation of many of the USDA Conservation Reserve Programs more profitable for farmers, so they can better manage their resources while protecting the environment. It will also create the opportunity for other groups or agencies, such as the Farmland Transition Network, Natural Heritage Trust Fund, and the Golden LEAF Foundation, to work together more effectively to support landowners who wish to preserve and protect their farms.

I often hear people say that they do not want anything to do with new programs and new efforts to address pressing issues within the county. They are not going to vote for, or agree to, anything that does not closely resemble what they remember from 35 years ago or even further back than that. They want things to "stay just as they are."

These people do not realize that it is inevitable - things will change. If they do nothing, things are most likely going to change in a way they do not want them to change. The only way they can make sure things change as they want them to change is to plan ahead.

During the next few months the issue of Voluntary Agricultural Districts will be examined more closely in Robeson County. This is just one step to plan ahead for farmland preservation -- at least for those who want it preserved.

There is nothing wrong with development as long as it is orderly and well planned. Rural Robeson County can thrive along with commercial Robeson County if we plan properly. Is it possible that ADFP will assist us in this effort?

E-mail address: Everett_Davis@ncsu.edu

Mailing Address:
P. O. Box 2280
Lumberton, NC 28359-2280

Phone: 910-671-3276
Fax: 910-671-6278

Date Created 11/16/07