Orange County NC Website
26 <br /> But conserving land is sometimes difficult because it must be donated or sold by <br /> willing landowners. State and federal funding to pay for conservation easements to <br /> preserve working farms also is dwindling. <br /> New farmers <br /> The interest in encouraging new people to go into agriculture comes at a time when <br /> the number of farmers is shrinking nationally; there were 2.1 million farmers in <br /> 2012, down 4.2 percent from five years earlier, according to the U.S. Census <br /> Bureau. And farmers are getting older; the average age in North Carolina is 58. <br /> As farmers retire, groups such as Triangle Land Conservancy are working to ensure <br /> that their land stays a farm. <br /> "In the next 10 years, we are going to continue to see a huge transition of <br /> farmers," said Leigh Ann Hammerbacher, associate director of conservation and <br /> stewardship with Triangle Land Conservancy. "So we're looking at how do we work <br /> to help transition lands to new and beginning farmers and set up programs to help <br /> make that land affordable for folks just starting out. Otherwise we are going to have <br /> a real gap in farmers in our area." <br /> Miller of the Conservation Trust said a $600,000 federal grant through USDA's <br /> Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program would be a "big boost" in <br /> creating programs that would help make land more affordable. Several nonprofits in <br /> the Triangle applied jointly for the grant, which has yet to be awarded. <br /> Incubator and cultivator farm programs are one way to help farmers get started. <br /> Incubator farm programs, like one at WC Breeze Family Farm in Orange County, <br /> provide more hands-on assistance and advice, while cultivator farms are more <br /> independent and provide farmers with affordable access to land and tools. <br /> "Land prices within the Triangle are very high," said Zeke Overbaugh, Good Hope <br /> Farm's manager. "If you go a couple counties in either direction, you can find <br /> unimproved farmland for very cheap to lease." <br /> But improving that property, like outfitting it with an irrigation system, or buying <br /> the tools needed to get started can be eensive. <br />