AG 2012 02 20 - Laserfiche WebLink

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owners believe that taxes, low commodity prices, environmental regulations, development pressures, complaints from neighbors, traffic problems making movement of large equipment from farm to farm very difficult and dangerous to farmers and motorists, vandalism and trespassing are having a significant impact on the future of agriculture within the county. To help address the challenges facing agriculture, Cabarrus County farmers and farmland owners are interested in participating in a variety of local and state programs. Following are some of the specific challenges farmers identified in the survey: 16 A. Falling Prices and Low Profitability. Grain prices increased in 2007. Crop yields were reduced by a record breaking Easter freeze, followed by extreme drought and high temperatures for the rest of the growing season. Cattle prices decreased from prior year's levels as grain prices increased. Livestock farmers were forced to reduce herd or flock size due to an 80 to 95 percent grazing and hay loss due to the Easter freeze and extreme growing long drought. Nearly all livestock farmers were forced to liquidate their herds or purchase hay. Due to the region wide drought, hay was available west of the Mississippi River. Freight and hay purchase put the cost of hay in Cabarrus County in the $200.00 per ton range. Almost all of the cattle farmers usually grow all their own forage. These factors, coupled with rising costs of production, have resulted in low profitability and inadequate farm income for farmers across North Carolina. This affects the farmer's cash flow, receivables, return on investment, and incentive and ability to invest in continued operations, thus making the farmer's hold on his or her business untenable. Cabarrus County farmers have identified these factors as well as the high costs of taxes, labor, regulatory compliance requirements and utility expenses as factors affecting their bottom line. B. Aging Farm Operators. In North Carolina, the average age of a farm operator is 55. In Cabarrus County, the average age of a farm operator is 58. The median age in Cabarrus County is 35.2. The number of Cabarrus County farmers older than age 65 is 6.8 times greater than the number of farmers under 35. This indicates that a large transition will take place over the next 20 years, and with fewer younger farmers available to take over production on these farms, many may fall out of production and be divided up and sold through estate settlement processes. Additionally, generations of farming expertise may be lost, an invaluable asset to the local agricultural economy. on Attachment number 1 G -1 Page 203