Pasture Posts #265 – Written in the Soil Forever
Here’s the weekly roundup from Watson Farms and your direct connection to your farmer. Enjoy the latest edition of Pasture Posts!
If you’ve visited us lately, you’ve likely seen the wide, flat stretches at the front of the farm. But as you go back toward the York County line, those flats give way to rolling hills leading to the creek bottom. This land has been the heartbeat of our family since my grandparents, Jim and Anna, first purchased it in 1979.
Today, as Noah and Abby grow up here, they represent the fourth generation of Watsons to call this soil home. But as we’ve watched the skyline of the Charlotte-metro area grow taller and the subdivisions of York County creep closer over the last 10 years, we realized that their future on this land wasn’t guaranteed by tradition alone.
A little over a year ago, our family—my parents, Gary and June, and Kelly, and myself—made it official. We partnered with the Farm Bureau Land Trust to put our entire 350-acre farm into a conservation easement.
What “Forever” Really Means
This was not a decision we made lightly or quickly. It involved a mountain of paperwork and a long, often laborious process with appraisers, attorneys, and our bank. But the result is simple: this land can never be anything but a farm.
By choosing this path, we were able to access conservation funding that helped us address “legacy debt” from our old turkey operation. But in the world of farming, the financial engine is always turning and requiring constant reinvestment. One of the greatest benefits of the easement is that it has allowed us to make needed investments—like the broiler expansion that we discussed last week—that will allow us to heal more land with your partnership.
The Truth About Farm Security
Many farmers avoid dealing directly with consumers, but we embrace it. (See the section below about Spring Farm Day!) We know that without your willingness to step out of the normal grocery store routine and shop with us, Watson Farms would cease to exist—with or without a conservation easement on the land.
In fact, as grateful as we are for the conservation easement, we know that customers like you provide more farm security across our country than easements ever will.
Continue reading Pasture Posts #265 – Written in the Soil Forever
