Saving N.C. Farmland for Future Generations

Noah Ranells was born in the city — New York City — but quickly realized he belonged in the country. 

“I spent a lot of time on a farm in northeastern Pennsylvania growing up,” he says. “I showed dairy cattle, fancy poultry and goats. My first-prize pattypan squash that I got at a fair when I was in 4-H was a milestone. I fell in love with farming. At the age of 12, I realized I could never live in the city long term.” 

Ranells arrived at NC State in 1988 after working with the Peace Corps in central Africa for two years. He earned both a master’s degree in crop science and a doctorate in soil science and ecology as a member of the Wolfpack after completing a bachelor’s degree in animal science from the University of Maryland. 

His love of farming motivated him to buy land in Orange County, North Carolina, in 1994 while he was finishing up his doctorate. He began growing vegetables and raising beef cattle, pigs, sheep and chickens. 

“We started producing in 2000 and have been selling at local farmers markets almost every Saturday since then,” he says. 

His commitment to agriculture extends far beyond his own farm. Ranells is the eastern director of NC FarmLink, an NC State Extension program dedicated to preserving the viability of agriculture in North Carolina and promoting farmland stewardship for future generations. A passion for farming and a genuine respect for the people who work to feed a growing population are motivations he brings to work every day.

“We will never be able to future-proof agriculture to a degree where we’re not going to need local land to produce food,” Ranells says.

The Need to Preserve Farmland

North Carolina boasts a robust agricultural economy worth more than $100 billion annually. The state is first in the nation in sweetpotato and turkey production, in the top three in swine and cucumbers, and in the top five in broilers and peanuts. 

Market forces, however, could change the state’s agricultural landscape. North Carolina is experiencing the second-highest rate of farmland loss in the United States, after Texas. According to the American Farmland Trust, in a worst-case scenario, the state could lose 1.7 million acres — more than a fifth of its total current farmland — by 2040 if nothing changes. 

“Actual shifts in land use based on annual satellite imagery are available through the National Land Cover Database and indicate an average daily loss of 70 cropland and pasture acres per day from 2019 to 2024,” Ranells says. 

Much of the land is being purchased by developers to build houses for the influx of people flocking to North Carolina, particularly in the counties adjacent to urban areas. 

It creates a cascading effect. Retiring farmers receive an offer that’s difficult to refuse for their land. The average price of land increases, making it prohibitively expensive for young aspiring farmers to get started. 

“Land that comes available around the Charlotte area or the Raleigh area that is perfect for a small farm, for flowers or produce, maybe some chickens or pigs, that used to be in a price range that a new farmer could buy is now too expensive,” Ranells says. “All of a sudden they are not in that pool of potential purchasers. And what used to be the American dream with regard to new and beginning farmers is no longer possible.” 

Southwest of Raleigh, Lee County could potentially lose 30% to 40% of its current cropland and farmland in the next 15 years. To buffer that, the county Extension center hosted an NC FarmLink workshop in the spring of 2026, designed to give information to farmers who want to keep their land in production. “If they say, ‘This land means a lot to me, and I want to make sure that it’s never developed,’ we want to make sure they know what programs are out there that can help them achieve those goals,” says Bill Stone, director of the Extension center in Lee County. 

Workshops are just one of the many ways Ranells and NC FarmLink western director Stephen Bishop tackle the issue of diminishing farmland. They offer no-cost succession consultations to help farmers and landowners understand options to preserve their acreage, including estate planning, farm transfers and tools such as agricultural conservation easements. 

NC FarmLink also connects new and beginning farmers with available land through mentorship, leasing, employment and partnership opportunities. 

“NC FarmLink works with farmers and landowners on farm transition issues,” Bishop says. “And whether we like it or not, North Carolina is a transitioning state. We’re growing incredibly fast. There’s a large number of people moving to North Carolina, and that’s putting a lot of pressure on farmland prices. We connect folks to different resources and tools and other agencies that are also leaning into this issue.”

A Passion for Farming

There’s no question farming is a tough way to make a living. 

The prices of inputs are constantly rising, whether it’s feed, fertilizers or fencing. Cutting-edge technology helps with seeding and harvesting decisions and saves on labor, but it doesn’t come cheap. Tariffs can close or restrict historically reliable export markets. 

Then there are the vagaries of weather and wildlife. A drought or an infestation of harmful insects can mean a loss in any given year. 

Extension experts provide the latest science-based information and connect farmers with new varieties of fruits and vegetables that are resistant to drought, heat and disease, but there are never any guarantees. 

Still, farmers remain resilient. Theirs is a proud and noble profession. 

They derive tremendous satisfaction from feeding people. But there’s more to it than that. Farming is a way of life. It includes an appreciation of the land and of rural living. It often involves generational families who have deep roots in their soil. 

Gary Thomas has farmed in Lee County for 52 years, just like his father and grandfather before him. The 71-year-old row crop farmer has a diversified operation that includes tobacco, wheat, corn, soybeans, oats and sweetpotatoes. He grows produce in 19 greenhouses and has six layer houses producing up to 60,000 eggs daily. 

“I love the land and seeing things grow,” Thomas says. “It’s in my blood. I get calls all the time from people wanting to buy land. You’ve got to love it and know how to do without money. If you ain’t got that, you don’t care about the land.” 

His strong preference is to pass the farm along to his children, who would then pass it to their children. He attended the NC FarmLink workshop in Lee County to learn about estate planning, the rights of heirs, and issues such as the tax implications of bequeathing 800 acres at a time when land assessments are skyrocketing because of increasing prices brought on by development. 

He left the workshop hopeful about keeping his land in production. 

Gary Thomas: Rooted in Family. Focused on the Future.

“I’m the third generation,” Thomas says. “My kids would be the fourth, and then their kids would be the fifth. That’s already happening. I have one grandchild who’s 19 coming into the farm.” 

Ranells hears sentiments like that just about every day. Farmers find a receptive ear when they talk to him. Not only does he have a tremendous admiration of people who make their living off the land, but he has firsthand experience with their issues. He, too, is having his own farmland succession crisis. 

In 2008, Ranells hired Bryan Horton to manage the day-to-day operations of his farm. He envisioned leasing the land to Horton when he was ready to retire. Instead, Horton purchased his own piece of land down the road. 

“Bryan is going off to do his own thing in 2027,” Ranells says. “So here I am, a client of my own work. It allows me to take a driver’s seat approach to the challenges around farm succession, especially when there isn’t an apparent heir.”

Offering Solutions

NC FarmLink exists to find solutions to farm succession issues and help keep farmland in production. Even though it didn’t proceed as planned, the story that unfolded on Ranells’ land is still a success story. He took someone who had an interest in agriculture and turned him into a farmer. 

“I was a chef for a good number of years,” Horton says. “Most of my agriculture experience comes from learning as I go and studying and learning from Noah, learning from myself, learning from the property.” 

While appreciative that Horton is becoming another Orange County farmer, Ranells now needs to rework his farmland succession plan. 

He listed his farm on NC FarmLink’s website as available for lease. He has been in conversation with a farmer interested in a transition opportunity. Ranells is considering a conservation easement or a new program called a farm commons. 

“My priority is to keep the land as an entity,” Ranells says. “Farm commons are exciting new strategies where a board of local people, some of them farmers, manage land by renting it to other farmers. It is a secure way of making sure that someone who doesn’t have land or doesn’t want to lock up their capital in land can access land.” 

Those are the same paths Ranells and Bishop offer to farmers across the state through one-on-one consultations and county events. 

“In this generation, there are still people who are connected to the farm, who want to farm,” Ranells says. “But the pressure on land and increasing prices really puts new farmers and authentic farming at a disadvantage. Our programs are stepping stones in the water. And missing one of those, we will fail. We need to consider the complement of all those opportunities to build resilience for food production.”