The projected budget shortfall for the state continues to escalate and the legislature will be pressed to find new sources of income or ways to cut existing budgets. Farmers will both tighten budgets in response to economic conditions and spend money where necessary to remain competitive in the world market. At the state s helm is North Carolina s new Governor Mike Easley. During his inaugural address, Governor Easley reflected on the state s greatness and the role that agriculture has played in forming a foundation for progress. However, he also noted the disparity in income and economic well being that exists between rural and urban areas today.
Many communities have strong and robust economies, while others languish.
Hundreds of textile jobs in rural North Carolina have been lost and a lack of profit in agriculture has added pressure on remaining family farms. As development has extended out from urban centers, farmland and open space has been lost. Fortunately, new emphasis has been placed on preserving farmland and open space through the Farmland Preservation Trust Fund. The state s new Commissioner of Agriculture, Meg Scott Phipps, has already utilized existing funds to create easements on 418 acres of farmland in Durham, Orange, Harnett, Chatham and Alamance counties. Much more, however, will need to be done to protect agricultural land from encroaching development and preserve rural North Carolina s chief economic engine.