The rural area north of Harmony in Iredell County, large tracts of farmland are now permanently conserved.

Over the years, Salisbury-based Three Rivers Land Trust has worked with three separate landowners and their families to conserve more than 1,535 acres in this area. The effort began in 1999, with the protection of 640 acres of the Daltonia Plantation. Over a decade later in 2011, the Grose family conserved their adjacent farm which totaled over 490 acres. Now, on July 26, 2024, the Patterson family added to that legacy by conserving an additional 405 acres.

This newly conserved farm has 1.2 miles of stream frontage along Hunting Creek, a major tributary to the South Yadkin River, where many local residents get their drinking water.

“Saving family farms and protecting local waters encompass two of our three focus areas at Three Rivers Land Trust,” Executive Director Travis Morehead said. “This easement not only permanently protects this land from being developed, it also ensures that a buffered natural area will always exist between the fields and Hunting Creek, preventing erosion and naturally filtering water before it enters the stream.”

Senior Land Protection Specialist Emily Callicutt added, “According to the American Farmland Trust, Iredell County is the 38th most threatened county in the nation for farmland loss. North Carolina is poised to lose more than 1 million acres of farmland by 2040, and working with landowners like the Patterson Family to conserve large farms like theirs is a significant step in preventing farmland loss in central North Carolina.”

This project was made possible through a generous conservation easement donation by the Patterson Family, and the support of corporate partners including Chick-fil-A and SC Johnson who support TRLT in our farmland protection efforts. The Patterson family desired to protect this land to honor the generations of their family who have farmed the property over the years.

To find out how to protect your property or to support TRLT in its conservation mission, contact Emily Callicutt, senior land protection specialist, at emily@trlt.org or 704-647-0302.