The Harris Farm has many of the qualities farmers look for to establish a successful food producing operation to serve regional markets: its well-drained sandy-loam soils are remarkably productive, its temperate climate affords a relatively long growing season, and a network of good county and state roads ensures access for distribution. Other farms and farm support services in the area mean that the county’s agricultural economy is viable. Perhaps most importantly, the Harris Farm is situated just 30 miles north of the state capital, in Raleigh. This area is known for its demand for fresh foods, and a variety of wholesale and retail outlets through which farm products can be sold.
One quality the Harris Farm has that sets it apart from most other farms in the region is its sheer size. The majority of local farm products sold in the area through farmers’ markets, natural groceries, farm-to-table restaurants, and value-added producers in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area of central North Carolina are grown on small-scale farms of 20 acres or less. With more than 1,500 acres of fields currently producing a rotation of hay, corn, soybeans, wheat, organic tobacco, and vegetables such as peppers, the Harris Farm has the capacity to supply a significant amount of burgeoning demand for local food among the region’s 1.75 million residents. As the prices of global commodities and the oil needed to ship them continue to rise, mid- to large-scale farms are vital to the region’s long-term food security.
The Harris family has managed this land as a productive agricultural operation for more than 200 years. It has gone through various phases of production. Two massive early 20th century barns stand as reminders of the family’s strong focus on dairy and beef cattle for the past 100 years. As the farm enters its third century, the current generation of the Harris family is committed to keeping the land as a working farm. The family members are not engaged in farming for their livelihood, and the costs of ownership have lead to financial pressure to sell pieces of the land for development. Clyde Harris emerged as the conservation leader in the family, one with a bold vision – protect the land as a whole, and continue the family’s successful legacy of farming. Clyde diligently worked to buy back numerous parcels from his relatives, reassembling the farm under single ownership. Today, as Raleigh’s growth continues northward, Clyde and his children must now plan for the future management of the property.
Clyde Harris had first met Jeff Fisher during his tenure as Executive Director of the Tar River Land Conservancy. With significant frontage on the Tar River, and as one of the last remaining intact large farms in the region, protection of the Harris Farm was a priority for the organization. In more recent years, Clyde has worked with Unique Places to develop a long-term conservation strategy that will protect the property as working farmland and forestland and provide a sustainable source of revenue. After balancing Mr. Harris’ financial goals and plans to transfer the land to his children, Unique Places created a plan that can adjust to real estate and conservation funding markets. Unique Places is now helping the Harris family to implement the plan on a timeline that meets their long-term financial goals and objectives. Aspects of the Plan include:
The conservation benefits of the strategic planning process for the Harris Farm include the eventual protection, restoration, and maintenance of over 2,000 acres as a working farm within Franklin County’s Voluntary Agricultural District.
As work continues, the Harris Farm stands today as a symbol of the agricultural legacy of the family and the community, and the conservation vision and leadership of one of its strongest members. Unique Places is proud to serve this family and this land, with the strong belief that future generations of Raleigh-area residents will be sustained and nourished by foods grown here.
