Farmers aim for growth, success

More than 100 local farmers and growers gathered Monday morning to hold Orange County’s annual agricultural summit — and, of course, to enjoy some country cooking.

The event, which kicked off N.C. Small Farms Week, gave area farmers an opportunity to learn how to better produce, market and manage their farms.

It comes during an era when many small farmers are forced to sell their land just to make ends meet — a situation that has sparked response from local leaders.

Agriculture is one of the top 10 income generators in the county, and county commissioners are trying to find ways to give farmers more flexibility in generating revenue off their property.

“I think the word for today was ‘diversify,’” said Orange County Commissioner Alice Gordon.

Farmers in attendance Monday heard from commissioners, various agricultural professionals and fellow farmers while enjoying locally produced refreshments.

Larry Sturdivant, owner of D&L Farms Inc. in Chapel Hill, said he attends the summit every year with his son and grandson to learn how he can better market his products.

Sturdivant said he has been working his farm since he bought it in 1951, and although he has never wanted to sell his farm, he can understand why some people do.

“You can’t afford to keep (the land) if you stop farming,” Sturdivant said. When people give up farming, he said, they lose a tax break on their land — making it too expensive to keep.

Even when a person continues to farm, rising prices in materials — particularly gasoline — make it more difficult for farms to stay afloat, Sturdivant added.

“It’s causing a lot of people to sell,” he said.

The summit provided suggestions on how to avoid such pressures and keep farms going.

Gordon said farmers who are able to sustain their farms focus on three issues: quality, diversification and direct sales to customers.

“I’m not saying (transition) is an easy sort of thing,” she said. “Today we heard the success stories.”

She said the biggest key to local farmers’ success is selling directly to the consumer. Gordon said she has heard stories of people willing to pay twice as much for local eggs because they believe they are getting a better product. “If you want to help the local farmer, shop at the farmers’ market,” she said.

Some farmers sell as much as 50 percent of their products at local farmers’ markets, Gordon said.

The Carrboro Farmers’ Market opened Saturday and continues until December, and the Southern Village market opens April 14.

County Economic Development Director Dianne Reid said the focus of the summit was to help farmers with that direct-to-customer marketing.

“They’re cutting out the middle man,” she said of farmers who employ that strategy. “They’re getting a higher price than if they sold to a wholesaler.”

Reid said that although farmers have a smaller economic impact in the county than in other areas, they still play an important role.

In addition to fresh produce, small farmers help the county uphold its policy of preserving farm land and forestry, Reid said.

Forty-two percent of county land is designated for farm or forestry under the N.C. Use-Value Program, she said.

Through its Lands Legacy Program, the county hopes to protect that land from development.

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.