Commercial Truck Insurance in Charlotte, NC

Green Acres By Dave Mildenberg

Preserving farmland may be a concept that everyone can support, but it’s incredibly difficult in fast-growing metropolitan areas like Charlotte.

That’s the mission that former Belk CEO Tim Belk and others are focused on with the Carolinas Farm Fund. Charlotte is the third major market, after Chicago and Atlanta, to take part in efforts led by The Conservation Fund, an Arlington, Virginia-based preservation nonprofit.

The Carolinas fund seeks to raise $17 million in private funding over 10 years, with a goal of preserving 5,000 farm acres within 75 miles of Charlotte. So far it has raised about $4 million.

“It’s a very innovative program that they’ve tried in other states and it works,” says N.C. Agricultural Commissioner Steve Troxler.

The group’s model is to buy property through an agricultural conservation easement, then lease it to a farmer who intends to acquire the land after several years in business. Because the easement restricts usage to farming in perpetuity, the property value tends to be 40% to 60% lower than if there were no clauses. Farmers can then afford to buy the land, if they’ve shown an ability to develop a sustainable business, says Aaron Newton, the Carolinas fund program manager.

The first participant in the Charlotte area is DeepRoots CPS Farm owners Cherie and Wisdom Jzar, a couple that grows more than 60 seasonal crops on 7 acres in Mecklenburg County.Now they are expanding to 44 acres in Union County with $1.4 million of support from the Carolinas Farm Fund.

“One of the biggest hurdles to people who want to farm is getting access to more land, so this helps us tremendously,” says Cherie Jzar. Longtime farmers “are not able to preserve farmland unless they have people who want to farm it,” she says.

The Jzars started as homesteaders about 18 years ago, producing food for their family on as many as five sites in Mecklenburg County. “We started thinking in 2018, ‘We’re really good at this and we should think about starting a farming business,’” she says. They closed on their 7-acre farm in December 2021.

Expanding their business will allow them to move beyond selling directly to customers who come to their property or buy at three local farmers markets. One of their five children, who studied agriculture at North Carolina A&T State University, is working at the farm. She hopes their other children will farm, too.

“We hope ultimately that this will create a pathway for them to create generational wealth,” she says.

Belk is a third-generation member of the famous department store family, which sold their business to a private-equity group in 2015. He and his daughter, Peanut, co-own a 12-acre organic farm, Wild Hope Farm, in Chester, South Carolina, about 40 miles south of Charlotte. He is passionate about the opportunity for farmers to supply a greater portion of vegetables, fruit and proteins to city-dwellers who prefer locally grown food.

“Overcoming the hurdles of farming a larger property is daunting,” Belk says. “But small and mid-sized farms can be successful, they can pay competitive wages and generate enough cash to stay current. There will be some one step forward, two steps back, but I definitely think it is doable.”

As one of the nation’s fastest-growing regions, the Charlotte area is expected to lose 19,400 acres of farmland by 2040 to housing, retail and other developments, according to American Farmland Trust.

But affiliated groups in Atlanta and Chicago have built pipelines with about 18 farms conserved in those areas over the past four years. “The success in Atlanta gives us hope that we can do something similar over time,” Belk says.

Soaring demand for local food and increased concerns about food safety are propelling the conservation movement, Newton says. For more than four decades, only about 2% of U.S. households have been producing food for the rest of our nation.

Preserving farmland is a key priority of Troxler, who has held his elected office since 2005. “He has had a great track record in helping take agriculture in North Carolina from $50 billion to $111 billion annually,” Belk says. “We’ve got a leader who understands business, and he’s also been a real leader in farmland conservation.”

The N.C. Department of Agriculture has spent $108 million to preserve 36,000 acres of farmland since Troxler took office, he says. Last year, farmers submitted 112 applications for preservation funds, totaling $55 million. But Troxler had only $18 million in his budget. To stretch state tax dollars, the state partners with the Carolinas Farm Fund and other nonprofits.

Troxler was impressed by Deep Roots during a visit. “It was exciting to see young people who have the heart to farm and the passion to farm to get some land at a price they can afford.”

______________________________________________________________________

Growing the family farm By Kevin Ellis

Husband-and-wife Tommy and Vicky Porter started farming on 200 acres of land in Cabarrus County in the mid-1980s. They expanded to 600 acres, but knew more would be needed to support their three kids and their eventual families, if they chose the farm lifestyle.

Three spouses and 10 grandchildren, later, their “grow the pie” plan is working out.

Advocates of preserving farmland, the Porters decided to sell conservation easements, closing on the first one in 2013. They used the money to invest in more land and now have about 1,100 acres south of Mount Pleasant, about 30 miles east of Charlotte. The family manages 2,000 sows, 400 head of beef cattle and chicken houses for 30,000 pullets and 12,000 layer hens.

“With land prices the way they are, this is a way to grow a farm,” says Vicky Porter of the easements. “That’s how to make that pie bigger.”

All but about 200 acres are now under easements or have a contract pending. The Porters conserved 367 acres earlier this year with an easement in cooperation with Salisbury-based nonprofit Three Rivers Land Trust, along with state and federal preservation programs.

The easements had to be a family decision, says Tommy Porter. “If Walmart decides in 20 years this farm would be a nice place for a distribution center, they’ll have to say, ‘no,’” he says. Their three children, ages 35 to 42, have returned to farm work after holding other jobs. (One of them remains a Concord firefighter.)

The Porters also host weddings and other events at two large venues on the farm.

The Porters describe themselves as a “unicorn family,” saying it’s rare to have all three children engaged in farming. The grandchildren also help out.

A 13-year-old granddaughter can bale hay by herself as long as an adult is also in the field, says Tommy Porter. The youngest, 2-year-old Knox, spent a recent day with his grandfather, crisscrossing the farm on an ATV to check on different equipment. That was always the dream, say the Porters. ■

The rally comes the same day Vice President Kamala Harris is set to campaign in Charlotte.

More Videos

GASTONIA, N.C. — Former president Donald Trump is making another trip to North Carolina. He will visit Gastonia on Saturday, Nov. 2, for a rally as part of his 2024 presidential campaign to return to the White House.

Trump's campaign shared the rally would happen at the Gastonia Municipal Airport, located along Gaston Day School Road. Doors will open at 8 a.m. with remarks slated for noon.

The rally in Gastonia will happen hours before Vice President Kamala Harris hosts her own get-out-the-vote rally in Charlotte. Harris' event is set to run from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m.

Both rallies happen to fall on the last day of early voting in North Carolina. The State Board of Elections reported Tuesday that more than 3.1 million ballots had been cast. This is slightly behind 2020, which was at around 3.4 million ballots by this point. However, experts emphasize it's hard to compare these years, given the amount of mail-in ballots due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Both are far ahead of 2016's 1.8 million ballots cast by this point.

North Carolina is a key battleground state for both parties, both at the presidential level and for key down-ballot races. The Tar Heel State has seen both campaigns host rallies and other events in the final days of the 2024 election cycle. Tim Walz, current Minnesota governor and Harris' vice presidential running mate, was in Charlotte and Asheville on Wednesday for campaign rallies. A week ago, Trump's running mate and current Ohio senator JD Vance hosted a town hall rally in Monroe.

On Wednesday, both Harris and Trump were in North Carolina as well. Harris was in Raleigh while Trump was in Rocky Mount.

Gastonia is located about 21 miles west of Charlotte.

WCNC Charlotte will have live election coverage of all the local and statewide elections starting at 7 p.m. on Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 5 on streaming on WCNC+, and all election results can be found by texting the word ELECTION to 704-329-3600 or going to WCNC Charlotte's election page.

Related Articles

Residents told WCNC Charlotte said they've lived in horrible conditions. Now they're being met with a 30-day notice to vacate the property.

More Videos

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Before Stacy Carter allowed WCNC Charlotte to enter her home at the Tanglewood Apartments community in north Charlotte, she warned about what lies and lives inside it.

"Now brace yourselves, I have every roach possible in here," she said.

Carter also said her home is also filled with gnats and mold.

"We have mold through almost every wall in our apartment, we have asked numerous times for these problems to be fixed," she added.

Instead, many residents said they received a 30-day notice to vacate the premises by Nov. 30.

"They were telling me I have to move and they took my money," Christopher Sanders, a resident who was hit with the notice, said.

The apartment complex was recently bought out by new owners after the previous one faced several code violations. WCNC Charlotte reached out to Charlotte city officials to learn more. Those officials said they met with the new owners this week and that they have committed $2 million toward repairs.

Officials also said the new owners informed them they’re only evicting residents who are not paying rent. But neighbors living there say that’s far from the truth

"They need to stop lying," Carolyn Toney said. "We would like to know where is our mayor and our council person that we voted for?"

While some neighbors like Toney continue to challenge city leaders to do more to help, others are feeling hopeless about what lies ahead.

"Where is everybody going to go? You got disabled people here who also received that notice," Tonya Hamilton said.

The city said its displacement protocol has been activated and "our partners will be on-site this week to coordinate support activities including meeting with residents".

WCNC Charlotte is still waiting to hear back from the new owners of Tanglewood apartments.

Contact Tradesha Woodard at twoodard1@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.

For the latest breaking news, weather and traffic alerts that impact you from WCNC Charlotte, download the WCNC Charlotte mobile app and enable push notifications.

Related Articles

With election day approaching, nearly half of registered North Carolina voters have already cast their ballot in the 2024 general election.

According to the State Board of Elections, more than 3 million people voted in person or by absentee ballot so far.

Election day is Tuesday, Nov. 5. If you want to head to the polls before then, in-person early voting (and same-day registration) can be done through Saturday, Nov. 2.

Whether you plan to vote early or on Election Day, here’s what to know about voting sites in/around the Charlotte area before heading to the polls.

Registered voters may visit any early voting site in their county. There are 33 early voting sites in Mecklenburg County:

Between Thursday, Oct. 17 and Saturday, Nov. 2, all sites will be open:

On Election Day (Tuesday, Nov. 5), registered voters can only cast a ballot at their assigned polling place.

The polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Anyone standing in line by 7:30 p.m. will still be able to vote.

You can search for your specific polling site through the NCSBE Voter Search tool online at vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup.

Registered voters will be able to cast a ballot for the following offices in the the 2024 general election:

Several counties and municipalities will also be taking votes for boards of commissioners, boards of education, mayor and seats on municipal governing boards.

You can take a look at a sample ballot through the North Carolina State Board of Elections’ Voter Search tool, which can be accessed online at vt.ncsbe.gov/RegLkup.

The State Board of Elections addressed frequently asked voter questions, concerns and misconceptions after the first few days of early voting. Here’s what to know about and expect when you head to the polls:

▪ Be prepared to wait in line. Wear comfortable shoes, pack snacks, slather on sunscreen and consider bringing a folding chair, umbrella and/or handheld fan. If you want to know before you go, some counties have trackers to let you check voting wait times online.

▪ Remember your photo ID. Find a complete list of acceptable forms of ID at BringItNC.gov.

▪ Poll workers might write on your ballot, and that’s OK. It does not invalidate your vote.

▪ It’s illegal to photograph your ballot. Voters can use their cell phones or other electronic devices inside the voting booth to access candidate information, but they can’t take a photo of their ballot or communicate with anyone while voting.

▪ Curbside voting is an option for voters who sign a sworn statement saying they can’t enter the polling place without assistance because of age or disability. It is not available for voters who don’t want to wait in line.

▪ You can wear political attire, but only certain types. Your clothing can say the name of a candidate, but poll workers might ask you to cover up if your clothing says to “vote for” the candidate.

▪ You can leave contests blank, and your ballot will still count.

▪ Candidate supporters and volunteers might be outside the voting site handing out flyers and information about candidates. This is allowed by law as long as they are outside the marked buffer zone. Aggressive campaigners or those inside the buffer zone can be reported to an election official.

For the full list of need-to-knows and expectations, visit ncsbe.gov/news.

Have a question about your community you’d like answered? Or maybe a tip or story idea you’d like to share? The service journalism teams at The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer want to hear from you.

Read Next

Voter Guide

October 22, 2024 4:04 PM

A North Carolina family is selling a rare, more than 100-year-old baseball card that their late father found at a flea market in the 1980s.

The father collected baseball cards and knew the card might be special because of 12-time batting champion Ty Cobb’s portrait on the front, Brian Dwyer, president of New Jersey-based Robert Edward Auctions, told The Charlotte Observer on Tuesday.

The dad likely had no idea how rare the card is, Dwyer said. Fewer than 24 are known to exist, he said.

“It’s a card that for many years wasn’t even known to exist, until the 1970s or ‘80s,” Dwyer said.

The T206 Ty Cobb portrait card with red background is part of the same series as a 1910 “Slow” Joe Doyle error card that a Charlotte-area family sold via REA for $1.3 million in August 2023, the Observer reported at the time.

The undiscovered 1910 baseball card topped all other sales in REA’s national auction of rare baseball memorabilia that summer.

Cobb’s red portrait card “is already one of the hobby’s most iconic pieces,” REA spokesman P.J. Kinsella said. “But what makes this example truly remarkable and valuable is the ‘Ty Cobb’ Tobacco advertisement on the back.”

Four Cobb cards appear in the series, also including one with a green Cobb portrait background and others of the Hall of Famer with and without a bat on his shoulder, Kinsella said.

On the back of the N.C. family’s Cobb red portrait card is a “Ty Cobb Tobacco” advertisement, “which is exceedingly rare to find, almost impossible to find,” Kinsella said.

“The advertising backs on all of these cards are what can really add some serious value,” he said. “If you rank the rarity of all of the advertising backs of all of the T206 cards, this is the rarest,” Kinsella said.

The family of the man who bought the card at a flea market lives in the Greensboro area, Kinsella said. REA doesn’t release consignors’ names, he said.

REA has no idea what the man paid for the card or the location of the market, Dwyer and Kinsella said.

“The details of where the flea market was have kind of been lost to time,” Dwyer said. “To the best of our understanding, it was somewhere in the North Carolina region, but we don’t know where specifically.”

“We know he was frequenting flea markets and other places where he might find old baseball cards,” Dwyer said. “He was an avid collector. And one day he stumbled upon this card.”

The family took the card to a large sports card convention in Ohio this year to see if anyone might know its value, Dwyer said.

“They were looking to get information and met us there for the first time,” he said. “We had no idea they were coming, no idea what they had, and we were pleasantly surprised to learn exactly what they had with them.”

Industry-recognized card-grading company SGC evaluated the card at 2.5 on a scale of 10.

“While that may not seem to be that impressive on its face, for this particular card, it actually ranks as one of the best-condition examples,” Dwyer said.

The auction of rare sports cards and memorabilia runs on the Robert Edward Auctions website from Friday, Nov. 22, to Sunday, Dec. 8. Initial bids are due by 9 p.m. Dec. 8.

In its 2024 summer auction, REA sold a Ty Cobb red portrait card with the same grade for just under $5,000, “but it had a common (Piedmont Tobacco Co.) advertisement,” Dwyer said. “And we’re starting the bidding on the card we’re speaking about today at $75,000.”

The discovery was the second “very rare, very significant card discovered in North Carolina from this series in the last year, year-and-a-half,” the Joe Doyle error card being the first, Dwyer said.

“That’s a testament to the fact that there was production in that area. A lot of the cards originated from factories in the Tobacco Road area of North Carolina. So it’s quite fascinating.”

“For a lot of people” who bought tins of tobacco in the early 20th century, the cards in the tins were a complete afterthought” and were discarded, Dwyer said.

This story was originally published October 30, 2024, 10:26 AM.

Follow more of our reporting on Instagram & TikTok at The Charlotte Observer

Carolina Panthers

October 29, 2024 2:18 PM

See all stories