By Morgan Watts
N.C. Cooperative Extension

I receive several calls a month from people interested in finding farmland to rent or lease in Rowan County, either for pasture or crops. I rarely receive calls from people that have land they want to lease out, but I know there are a few people out there that may. It can be hard for the smaller or beginning farmers to find land to rent or lease and when just starting out, purchasing land may not be an option. To help combat these issues, North Carolina State Extension created a website called NC FarmLink. This is the “About Me” statement from NC FarmLink on their purpose for this project: “NC FarmLink is a program of N.C. State Extension that connects farmers, landowners and service providers across North Carolina, helping to grow the state’s agriculture industry. NC FarmLink maintains databases of both available farmland and farmers looking for land, working with landowners and farmers to ensure an appropriate and lasting match is made. We will help guide you through considerations and assist you in locating resources you will need when negotiating a land tenure arrangement. We envision a resilient agriculture industry where farmers have affordable options for accessing farm and forest land to create sustainable farm operations; where landowners have viable opportunities for keeping their land in farming; and where agriculture continues to be an integral part of our economy, environment and communities across North Carolina.”

If you have land for rent/lease or if you are looking for land in Rowan County, I highly suggest you create a profile through NC FarmLink. If you have any questions, go to ncfarmlink.ces.ncsu.edu/ or call the Rowan County Center at 704-216-8970. You can also stop by at 2727-A Old Concord Road in Salisbury.

Morgan Watts is livestock and field crops agent with the Rowan County Extension.