N.C. leads nation in farm loss
At least we're not alone.
North Carolina tied with Florida and Tennessee for the top farm losses in the country during 2005, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture today.
This state lost 1,000 farms in 2005, following on a loss of 3,000 farms during 2004. North Carolina had 48,000 farms at the start of 2006, the USDA reported.
"North Carolina is a leading agricultural state, but losing farms is one category where I don't want us to be No. 1," the state's agriculture commissioner, Steve Troxler, said in a news release. "Farm loss has become a chronic problem here. We've lost more than 6,000 farms and 300,000 acres of farmland since 2002."
According to the news release, Troxler plans to push for funding for the Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund during the 2007 legislative session. The fund received $50,000 during 2005 and nothing last year.
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