Family Farms

Family Farms

“Sustainable farming is like a three-legged milking stool, with an environmental leg, an economic leg, and a spiritual leg.

For farming to be sustainable, we must nourish the earth that nourishes us, being careful not to deplete the soils or leave behind pollutants.

Families must be able to make a living, and farms must create enough wealth to support the local economy and attract the next generation to choose farming as their life’s work. Finally, we must nourish our spirit with good work and a balanced lifestyle.” – Steve Tate, Goat Lady Dairy

Farming has defined with way of life for generations of Piedmont families, thanks to rich soils, plentiful water, favorable climate and gentle topography. As one of North Carolina’s top industries, agriculture is an important part of the state’s economy. Local farms provide our families with fresh food, produce important commodity crops, provide opportunities for recreation and habitat for wildlife, and contribute to the scenic value of our region.

At the same time, rapid development in our region threatens our valuable farmlands.

Since early on, Piedmont Land Conservancy has been very active in protecting farms across our region. PLC’s preferred approach is to protect farms that are located near each other in farming communities, to increase the impact of conservation. PLC has two community-based farmland protection efforts – the Sutphin Mill Community in Alamance and Chatham Counties, and the Liberty-Randleman Corridor in Randolph County. PLC protects farms in all of our counties, particularly in our rural counties.