OCTOBER 29, 2009 ISSUE
Public Input Meeting on Watauga Farming Plan Thursday
The Watauga County Soil and Water Conservation District will host a public input meeting this Thursday, October 29, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. to assess the current state of the local agricultural economy and to begin creating a plan to support the growth of farming and the availability of farmland. The meeting will take place in the Watauga County Courthouse in the Commissioners’ Meeting Room.
Brian Chatham, a conservationist with the Soil and Water Conservation District, said the Soil and Water Conservation District and the Voluntary Agricultural District Board “decided that we need a protection plan.”
“What this plan will do is it will highlight farmland in our county that needs protection,” Chatham said. The plan will also highlight growth patterns in agriculture in the county and help broaden the county’s agricultural markets.
In addition, the plan will help develop a transition network to help young farmers find land to begin farming. Farmers have difficulty finding land for farming because of the high real estate prices in the area, Chatham said. This plan will highlight land that people want to maintain for farming uses. For example, an elderly farmer who wants to retire but would like to see his or her land preserved for farming could lease the land to a young farmer.
The project, titled “Watauga County Farming for the Future: Shaping a Vision for a Vibrant Agricultural Economy,” is being funded through a grant from the North Carolina Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund.” Unique Places, a Durham-based development firm that specializes in a conservation-driven approach to real estate, has been hired to write the plan.
Before Watauga County wrote the grant application, nine other counties in the state had similar agricultural preservation plans, Chatham said.
The plan is in the beginning stages of data gathering, with all GIS mapping work completed. A second community meeting on the plan will take place in late winter or early spring 2010, with completion of the plan expected in July.
All residents, landowners, farmers and supporters of agriculture in Watauga County are invited to participate in the community meetings. Those who cannot attend can submit their comments, questions and concerns to the Soil and Water Conservation District office.
For more information, contact Chatham at 828-264-0842 or brian.chatham@nc.nacdnet.net.
Want To Go?
Date: Thursday, October 29
Time: 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Location: Watauga County Courthouse Commissioners’ Meeting Room
Cost: Free
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