To farm, or not to farm, that is the question that many locals in the agricultural business have had to ask themselves over the last couple of decades.
About 14 years ago, Russ Page , an Oconee County cattle farmer and business owner, noticed the issue of development encroaching into agricultural areas began dominating discussions with friends who worked in agriculture.
The challenges of farming — drought, disease, bug infestations, restrictions on pesticide use to control those issues, not to mention fluctuating selling prices of commodities — have made the option of selling out to developers a temptation for local landowners looking for alternative uses for their property, he said in a recent interview.
Page and his friends knew there had to be another option, one that would hopefully preserve the county’s pastoral setting while saving family farms.
The group
Article source: http://oconee.patch.com/articles/farmland-s-best-friend-russ-page
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