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53 <br />[text of educational brochure prepared for the NC Farmland Preservation Program] <br />Protecting Your Legacy: Conservation Options for Agricultural Lands <br />9 million acres. <br />49,000 farms. <br />57,000 farmers producing more than 80 different commodities. <br />Billions of dollars in revenue. <br />Immeasurable economic, social and environmental value. <br />This is agriculture in North Carolina. <br />Agriculture is an important part of life in North Carolina. It plays an integral role in our <br />history, culture, quality of life, and natural resource protection. It defines a way of life for <br />many North Carolina communities and provides valued open space to city dwellers. <br />Agriculture -- your land -- is important to you and your family. In our rapidly urbanizing state, <br />development pressures, increasing land values and property taxes, and falling revenues for <br />agricultural products make it more difficult for farmers to ensure that their land remains their <br />family legacy. According to the American Farmland Trust, North Carolina ranks second in <br />the nation for the amount of prime farmland converted to urban use, with 31% of our <br />state's prime farmland being developed from 1982 -1992. <br />Estate planning is an important tool that will help keep your land in your family for <br />generations to come. This brochure introduces several planning tools and programs that help <br />you to protect your land and maintain farming activities, while possibly reducing your taxes. <br />Planning for the future of your land may be one of the most important things you do today. <br />