0299-GCG-FoothillsConservancy ESG24-FINALb (1) - Flipbook - Page 18
Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina
Farm Conservation
in the Foothills
Protecting Land, Culture, and Food Supplies
When we think of natural resource conservation,
we often picture pristine forests and clear streams,
places where human modi昀椀cations are minimal
and natural communities dominate. But it is equally
important in conservation work to focus on farmland
preservation. Farms can provide signi昀椀cant habitat
for native species, protect drinking water, preserve
important soils that sustain a variety of crops and
secure our food supply, and magnify local economies
and cultures.
In North Carolina, we are in danger of losing a
tremendous amount of farmland, much of which is
slated for conversion into urban development and
rural sprawl. The American Farmland Trust’s “Farms
Under Threat 2040” report estimates that North
Kudzu Cow Farm
Carolina will lose nearly 1.2 million acres of farmland
by 2040, the second-highest amount of agricultural
land lost by a state in the entire country.
It is for this reason that Foothills Conservancy of North
Carolina works to support farmland conservation in
North Carolina.
Kudzu Cow Farm
This year, we completed a conservation easement on
a 292-acre farm in Rutherford County, referred to as
the Kudzu Cow Farm. The farm has been operated by
and under the ownership of the same family since a
land grant was given to them by the King of England in
1774, and it has been in agricultural production since
that time. The farm supports cattle grazing and the
production of row crops like soybeans, corn, and small
grain sorghum, as well as hay crops, including fescue,
orchard grass, timothy ryegrass, and alfalfa.
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Through grants from the N.C. Agricultural Development
and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund (ADFP) and
USDA’s Agricultural Land Easement program, FCNC is
proudly able to ensure that the Kudzu Cow Farm will
remain as farmland forever.
Blue Creek Farm
Landowners Monty and Donna Minton partnered with
FCNC to protect their scenic Blue Creek Farm in the
Brushy Mountains’ foothills, part of the upper Yadkin
River watershed. Located 1.5 miles east of Lenoir’s
conserved Green Mountain, the farm features diverse
riparian, bottomland, and ridge habitats, offering
excellent wildlife refuge.
