Current Occupation
Farming and Land Grading
Age (optional)
65
Campaign Phone
9106958402
I have been farming for 50 years and I own several acres. I am the owner of C&L Grading, Inc for 35 years offering a variety of services such as land clearing and pond building. I have served on the Land Use Board and also Farm Bureau and ACS office for several years.
Our county is faced with rapid growth that our current infrastructure cannot support. We are losing farm land to growth as well. Growth in Moore County needs to be more controlled and we need more inspectors to enforce sediment ponds, storm drainage and erosion which are caused by rapid growth.
Contract Approvals for Farmers to be able to receive funds to help improve their farming practices
I appreciate your support and look forward to serving Moore County Soil & Water in the future.
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Position/philosophy statement
Healthy soil and clean water are baseline issues for everything else that we do. Moore county’s biggest assets are its natural resources and I want to help protect those as our community continues to grow and develop.
Current Occupation
Associate Administrator
Age (optional)
57
I am a longtime advocate for health and well-being and believe the food we eat and the environment we live in are fundamental to both. My decades-long journey has included learning about sustainable farming, environmental issues, and natural resource stewardship. As a self-employed bookkeeper and past business owner, I have experience with financial processes needed for the assessment and allocation of funds. In the Sandhills, I worked as a horticulture technician at the Sandhills Horticultural Gardens, gaining firsthand experience with diverse ecosystems. I garden organically, completed NC State Extension’s Small Farm Bootcamp, and am a member of the Carolina Farm Stewards Association, supporting sustainable farming in NC & SC.
One of my biggest concerns is the very rapid development we’ve seen In Moore county in recent years that does not account for the impact on our natural resources. For a rural county whose farmland and natural resources are one of its biggest assets, I plan to work with the Soil and Water board on ways to mitigate negative effects of that rapid development, as well as the effects of our ever-changing climate which is producing more drought situations each year. A main goal of mine through Soil and Water is to educate the community on local, state and federal resources and how they can institute conservation efforts to protect the land they live on and support the natural environment.
I don’t actually know what the most effective service/program is. I have educated myself on the programs offered through Soil and Water Conservation Districts, but until I am actually on the board I won’t really know what it’s currently doing fully. A couple of things I know we do that I think are beneficial are an educational program for youth once a year and no-till and other equipment rentals. I’d like broader education programs and would like to know what kind of farms the no-till equipment is used on to know if it is actually effective. We also offer pond dredging for silt build up in ponds, but unless we are also offering education on how to prevent pond silt build up, I don’t believe that’s a fully effective use of resources.
There are approximately 800 small and medium-sized family farms in Moore county, many of which are attempting to farm in a sustainable way, taking into consideration the whole system and the natural environment on their land that contributes to that system including forest, wildlife, and wetlands when applicable. I want to make sure the soil and water conservation board is supporting the small farms in addition to any support that we might be giving to larger operations. I also want to make sure that we are supporting sustainable farming efforts as I feel that will support the future health and well-being of our community as a whole. I also want other land users, and organizations to know about the resources available to them through the soil and water conservation district. My intention is to implement broader reaching educational programs, as well as thinking about additional fundraising opportunities. In addition to the ones we currently do.
