Land of opportunity

Farmers don’t have to dig far to find future crop needs, according to experts at agricultural forum

PowerPoint presentations from the forum (PDF):

By Jason King
Information and Communications Specialist

North Carolina is losing more than 100,000 acres of farmland per year, a trend that is alarming for a state that generates $68 billion per year in agribusiness – $48 billion more than the state’s second-largest industry, the military.

Johnston County Board of Commissioners Chair Cookie Pope introduces her cousin, Congressman Bob Etheridge, to a crowd of around 80 attendees. Johnston hosted the forum at its Agricultural Center. A Harnett County tobacco farmer, Etheridge serves on the House Committee on Agriculture and provided an update on the federal farm bill. (Photos by Jason King)

That downward trend, however, could be reversed if the state embraces some of the new agricultural opportunities before it, according to speakers and presenters at an NCACC Agricultural Issues Forum held April 27 in Johnston County.

“North Carolina is probably the best-positioned state of any state to be the Saudi Arabia of alternative fuels,” said Congressman Bob Etheridge, one of three keynote speakers at the forum, labeled “The Business of Farming: 21st Century Challenges and Opportunities.”

As gas prices hovered close to the $3 mark in early May, most drivers would agree that America’s thirst for oil could instead be quenched with a little ethanol if it meant a lower price at the pump. Crops such as low-maintenance switchgrass can be used as feedstock to produce cellulosic ethanol, a fuel that holds vast potential to meet the transportation needs of the future.

“We’re never going to grow enough corn in North Carolina to produce the ethanol that we need but we have so much cellulosic material out there, it’s entirely possible that we can become a leader,” said State Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “But it’s going to take a commitment from the Legislature and a commitment on the national level.”

It could also take a commitment from county governments to ensure more farmlands aren’t sold to developers. That commitment could also alleviate many of the infrastructure needs county governments are facing today. Among his recommendations, Troxler advocated for counties to put conservation easements in place and buy short- and long-term development rights.

Emily Warren of Piedmont Biofuels provides a demonstration on how to make biodiesel fuel from waste vegetable oil.

According to Troxler, it takes on average 34 cents per tax dollar for a county to provide the infrastructure needed for a farm to thrive. A home development, meanwhile, would require $1.15 to fund adequate infrastructure needs. That figure grows higher in a county such as Wake ($1.54).

“If we cover North Carolina with concrete, we’ll never get the 4 million people because I don’t think this will be an attractive place anymore,” Troxler said, referring to estimates that the state’s population will grow to roughly 12 million by 2030. “We’ve got to do some planning in North Carolina and make sure that we do protect this agricultural base that is so vital to us.”

Along with protecting the agricultural base, farmland preservation efforts in turn reduce the risk of contamination of the food base and protect the environment.

“We can do a good job of food safety if we have the ability to start at the farm level,” Troxler said. “But when it’s imported in a cargo container, there’s not going to be enough inspectors ever to ensure the absolute safety of the food supply.”

Gerry Cohn, southeast regional director for American Farmland Trust, pointed out during a workshop that turning farmland into residential developments has negative long-term implications for the environment, including water pollution via stormwater runoff and septic systems.

State Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler

Wineries, pick-your-own-berries operations, and tourist attractions such as corn mazes are another form of value-added and alternative agriculture activities that are on the rise, said N.C. State University’s Annette Dunlap during a workshop on agribusiness and agritourism.

Other workshops included a presentation on how to make biodiesel fuel.

Etheridge, who chairs the House Committee on Agriculture’s Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management, provided a legislative update on the federal farm bill, saying he would like to see the bill put to a vote in the House by mid-July and on the President’s desk by the end of September.

The forum was an initiative of the NCACC’s Agriculture Steering Committee, chaired by Granville County Commissioner W.E. “Pete” Averette.