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41 <br />As one of his last acts in office, <br />former Governor Jim Hunt set a <br />goal to preserve one million acres of <br />farm and forest land in the state <br />over the next decade. A quick look <br />at the facts makes a strong case for <br />doing so. <br />Farmland and farm families are <br />being lost at an alarming rate in North <br />Carolina. Statistics <br />show the state lost <br />nearly one million <br />acres of farm and <br />forest land between <br />1982 and 1992, of <br />which over 295,000 <br />acres was consid- <br />ered prime farm - <br />land. During this <br />period the state <br />ranked second <br />nationally in con- <br />version of farm acreage to develop- <br />ment. It was also a time when the <br />state lost 20,000 farmers. <br />The trend has unfortunately <br />continued. Between 1992 and 1997 <br />North Carolina lost an additional <br />781,500 acres of farm and forest land <br />to bulldozers and poured concrete. <br />The annual conversion rate was esti- <br />mated at 156,000 acres. <br />A statistic which parallels the <br />loss of farmland is the increasing age <br />of today's Tar Heel farmer, which <br />averages nearly 60 years of age. <br />Young men and women who might <br />replace the agricultural workforce are <br />being discouraged by low profits, <br />high land prices and extraordinary <br />start -up costs which cause potential <br />lenders to turn away. <br />Left Bordered by a fence and acres of new hous- <br />ing, this old gray more is finding less open pasture <br />on which to graze. <br />Inset top: Beyond this street sign is open space for <br />pasture, however an asphalt road leads right to <br />the property line. The question is, how long will the <br />pasture remain undeveloped? <br />