Did you know North Carolina is the second leading state in farmland and forestry loss behind Texas? By 2040, North Carolina will have lost 1.6 million acres of farmland.
On November 16th, 2024, St. Paul’s FFA Chapter hosted a Farm Revival to bring awareness to the steady loss of farmland in North Carolina. The chapter partnered with the Working Lands Trust to host this successful event for FFA members, agriculturists and the community in which they serve.
Working Lands Trust is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to sustain North Carolina’s food and fiber with the conservation of farms and forestry. With the use of donations and their determination, Working Lands Trust has protected 17,500 acres of farms and forest land in the state of North Carolina.
“My favorite part of the Farm Revival was having the opportunity to meet new people and being able to see who this event was impacting.” St. Paul’s FFA Chapter President, Madison Philipps said.
The guests in attendance to the Farm Revival.
During the planning phase, the St. Paul’s FFA Chapter worked diligently since September 2024 to receive sponsors for the revival, sell tickets to the public, and gather raffle items from local businesses for the Farm Revival. 130 guests gathered at the Farm Revival to enjoy a meal and the opportunity to participate in the live auction and raffles that benefited the Working Lands Trust to help support their mission and goals of protecting farms and forest land. All guests were informed by St. Paul’s FFA Chapter Officers and the Working Lands Trust members on the importance of farmland and forestry in the state of North Carolina as well as advocated for the steady loss of this land.
“The Farm Revival was an awesome event and we were extremely proud to be a part of it. Farmland preservation is the main goal of WLT and something I personally am very passionate about. I think the event went great and hopefully we helped bring awareness to such a pressing issue.” St. Paul’s FFA Chapter Advisor, Mr. Kyle Chavis says.
St. Paul’s FFA Chapter’s Farm Revival made an impact on several members of the community who were not all agriculturalists. With the help of Working Lands Trust, every guest went home with an awareness of farmland and forestry loss as well as some ways to help conserve our food and fiber.
