Even though a significant portion of North Carolina’s farmland has been lost in the last two decades, and the losses are expected to increase in the coming decades, there are efforts to preserve the State’s most valuable resource.

Farmer Jack Middleton has had many eye-opening moments during his time as Operations Manager for Fat Mountain Farms in Cerro Gordo. One of those moments came with Joel Salatin at Polyface Farm when he realized that there are many ways to run a profitable farm and not all of them involve large acreage and upfront investment.

There are many things in farming that can’t be controlled. One thing that is within our control, however, is investing in practices and products this year that will benefit next year’s crop. Dustin Adcock, an agronomist with Southern States, advocates for considering the long-term impacts of management decisions being made this year.