Time to harvest ideas

July 6, 2012

Catawba County is beginning development of a plan to provide long-term support to agricultural land in the county that will focus on economic development for agriculture and the recruitment of young farmers.

The public is invited to submit ideas and suggestions online at www.catawbacountync.gov/Planning/Sustainability/ or at a set of public workshops that begin Monday.

“Catawba County has been focusing on preserving and supporting agriculture for years, including the Board of Commissioners action in 2008 to create Voluntary Agriculture Districts to encourage the preservation and protection of farmland,” said Mary George, assistant planning director. “Now we are taking this effort further by developing a specific plan to focus on agricultural economic development, recruit younger farmers and provide tools for farm transitioning in the county.”

To read more of this story, pick up the 07-07-2012 edition of Catawba County's community newspaper, The Observer News Enterprise, at newsstands throughout the county.