Tar Heel agriculture loses ground.(Statewide)

Farming remains important to the North Carolina economy, accounting for about $70 billion a year. But the state had more than 1.8 million fewer acres of farmland in 2007 than it did in 1982, according to the most recent U.S. Department of Agriculture census, which is conducted every five years. The state also lost nearly 20,000 farms during that period as many farmers sold land to developers. The losses weren't uniform, however. Eight counties, mostly in the East, gained farmland. In many cases, consolidation has been the name of the game for the farms that are left. They averaged 160 acres, about 18 acres larger than in 1982. Also increasing is the average age of Tar Heel farmers, which went from nearly 52 in 1982 to 57 in 2007.

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