When you think of Charlotte-area industries, farming might not be the first thing that comes to mind. But there are about 9,000 farms operating across 14 counties in the region. That number is getting smaller, though, even as the farms that remain are getting bigger and increasingly concentrated in fewer hands. That’s according to a new report by the Charlotte Urban Institute.
To help provide some context, we reached out to Roland McReynolds, executive director of the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association.
Marshall Terry: Can you first talk a little bit about what farmers in the Piedmont region generally produce and give us an idea of what their economic impact is?
Roland McReynolds: Agriculture in the Piedmont is very diversified, from farms raising confined poultry for large-scale poultry processing facilities. You see small farms that raise a few head of cattle and keep pasture land managed. You have small-scale operations growing fruits and vegetables for local markets.
You have row crop operations growing corn, soybeans, and other agronomic crops for international commodity markets. And you've got a robust sort of truck farming, sort of mid-scale distribution of fruits and vegetables in the Piedmont region that's also important. The impact of agriculture in the state of North Carolina in total is over $110 billion.
Terry: This report found that between 2017 and 2022, the Charlotte region lost about 8 percent of its farms — roughly 800 operations. It points to bigger farming operations buying up smaller ones and the sheer loss of land to subdivisions as the Charlotte area continues to grow. Can you talk a little about those pressures and trends, and what they mean for farmers?
McReynolds: It definitely means it’s difficult for more farmers to stay in agriculture in these rapidly growing, peri-urban areas like you’re seeing around Mecklenburg County. The cost of land is rising, and the cost of agricultural inputs has been on a higher trajectory over the last several years. It just makes it really hard for new farmers to get into the business and get access to land and equipment. It also puts more power in the market in the hands of larger landowners and larger farms that can take out bigger loans to handle these higher costs.
Terry: What does the loss of farms mean for consumers? Why should someone listening to this care that there are fewer and fewer farms in the Charlotte region?
McReynolds: Two things. We depend on farms to ensure a supply of food and fiber to meet our needs. When we are reliant on distant areas to provide those needs, we're at more risk of catastrophic disruptions like we saw during the pandemic, when grocery store shelves were empty because it was impossible to move some products thousands of miles or more that they travel every day.
So, having a base of local agriculture is important for our food system resilience in our communities. It's also important for our environment. Keeping land in farming, keeping land in harmony with nature, protects our environmental resources, protects our land and water, and reduces the pressure of growth and development impacts in our communities.
Terry: So what’s the outlook here? Are we looking at a future where little to no farming occurs in the Charlotte region? Or will it all just be concentrated in the hands of big business? What’s your prediction?
McReynolds: At Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, we certainly believe that an alternative is where small and mid-sized farms are able to thrive and be successful in peri-urban areas. It takes a lot of intention and coordination.
It takes local government policy that ensures that development pressure doesn't disproportionately disrupt agriculture. It means ensuring there are local markets that provide access for small and mid-sized farms to get their food into markets. If we pursue those sorts of things, then we can have thriving urban areas and still have thriving rural communities surrounding our cities and ensuring a supply of local and regional food.
