CHARLOTTE, N.C. — North Carolina is known for its fast-growing cities and latest developments, but the growth comes at a cost. The American Farmland Trust shows that North Carolina is the second-most threatened state in the U.S. for losing farmland.

The state is expected to lose nearly 1.2 million acres of agriculture by 2040, and this can already be seen by the 20% farmland loss Mecklenburg and Wake counties have seen in the past decade.

What You Need To Know

  • North Carolina is the second-most threatened state in the U.S. for losing farmland

  • The state is expected to lose nearly 1.2 million acres of agriculture by 2040

  • Mecklenburg and Wake counties have lost 20% of farmland in the past decade 

  • North Carolina loses about 55 acres of farmland a day

Hodges Family Farm in east Charlotte sits on 187 valuable acres. The farm is one of 16 Century Farms in Mecklenburg County so the family are no strangers to developers knocking on their door. Farm Manager Connor Newman says he gets phone calls as often as once a week from developers looking to buy his land.

While the busy season at Hodges Family Farm has come to an end, there is always more work to be done.

“We've been everything from an operational dairy to therapeutic horseback riding to now we do pastured beef, pork, chicken, weddings, obstacle course races, a little bit of everything,” Newman said.

Newman’s farm has been in his family for over 100 years and is located in one of North Carolina’s fastest-growing areas.

“One of the biggest changes is how much it's urbanized. That field over there with all the houses in it was my second cousin Eddie's field, and that used to be 150 acres of Charolais cattle and hay, and now it's going to be town homes,” Newman said.

Like many families, his cousin aged out of the fields with no one to take over. This farmland loss is a common theme for many farmers, selling acres of land to developers with no one in the family to take over.

According to the Triangle Land Conservancy, North Carolina loses about 55 acres of farmland a day.

“It’s been a long time since farming was a regular occupation, you know, we’re less than 1% of the whole population and a lot of people have the mindset that you can't make any money farming, and it is difficult,” Newman said.

Another issue the farm has faced is having the land listed on maps as undeveloped land, indicating to developers that the land is available.

Instead, to keep up with developers, Hodges Family Farm has turned to agritourism, but says the economy may be at risk if other farms fall under the radar.

“For one thing, local food security, everybody hears about food desserts. And if the food chain were to shut down, this area would be out of food in two, three days, whatever that is, and that's because a lot of our food comes from distant areas, which also means that they have to harvest it sooner so that it's more shelf stable,” Newman said.

As the City of Charlotte continues to grow, Newman hopes farmers and their land are not left behind.

“The more we can share our farm with the community, the better it is for everybody, the better it is for us, the better people understand us and what we're trying to do out here,” Newman said.

Grants and partnerships within the state have been forming to provide farmers with resources to keep them in the business, while also conserving their land.

In the past month, the N.C. Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund recently awarded over $15 million to local projects to protect working farms and forests.

Mecklenburg County is looking to partner with national nonprofit The Conservation Fund to purchase land from farmers trying to leave the business and sell it to new and minority farmers in the county.