Kara Dudley’s report is most welcome, as is the Trust Fund. Thanks so much to the Ag Advisory Board, County Commissioners, Soil and Water staff and Board, and Cooperative Extension. The Extension service and Soil and Water have been helpful to me personally for 60 years of learning how to improve the soil and farm ponds and cattle herd; they are greatly appreciated. Appreciate serving on Ag Adv Board for several years and focus on saving our precious underground water table. Tandy Jones was such an excellent chair.
In maintaining farming/ranching in our county, it is vital that we maintain infrastructure like the Stockyards, Chaudry Halal abattoir next door, our tractor companies, insurance and lending institutions, and WATER.
I put my farms in the Grasslands Preservation Trust over a decade ago, also with Tandy bird dogging the arduous 5 year process. The model of paying farmers/ranchers for the development rights to their agricultural property has worked well. The Triangle Land Conservancy monitors our observance of the terms of the Trust. I’m glad that I had to turn down a very lucrative offer to turn pasture into a solar farm; this led to pushing many other entities to appreciating the shade side effect of solar panels and push to use them over parking lots and highways and railroads, all nonpermeable surfaces to reduce heat accumulation in asphalt and concrete and roofs, even though the placement of the panels may be less than optimal for producing electricity.
We have been so focused on electricity as the immediate money return that the shade and protected driving/parking effect has not been utilized well. Think of your next solar panels as THE roof, not just ON the roof. They make a great shed. Lyle Estill did this at “The Plant” several years ago. A similar roof over canals has been started in California to reduce evaporation of precious water. Positioning panels to run off rain and snow into reservoirs for reusable water is another side effect to consider. Reducing night light pollution also benefits.
John Dykers
From: John R. Dykers, Jr. M.D.
Sent: Saturday, October 29, 2022 at 04:23:47 PM EDT
Subject: Agricultural Preservation and Development Trust Fund