2018 Agricultural & Conservation Farm Tour

Our Annual Conservation Farm Tour was held jointly with the Davidson Soil & Water Conservation District, the USDA-NRCS, and the Cooperative Extension Service on July 31st.  Approximately 45 attendees traveled with us to farms within the County to view and learn about the latest agricultural innovations and farming practices.  

Participants included our County Commissioners, Constituent Advocate Stephanie Blair from Senator Thom Tillis office, our County Attorney, representative from the The Dispatch Newspaper, along with local farmers and citizens from across the County.

This year's tour began at George Smith Farm where we observed his dairy operations, waste management system, silage leachate and nutrient management, equipment and crop production.  Our next stop featured the Master Gardeners Partnership. We traveled to Kent Beck's Farm to view livestock exclusion, cattle watering system, pasture management and precision fertilization. Our delicious lunch was at Yarborough's Restaurant.  

After lunch, we traveled to Danny Sink's Farm where we viewed his farm shop with impressive engineering and design. Our last trip was Nolan and Sue Smith Farm to observe their pond management, dam construction, buffers, habitat creation, and to learn about the importance of controlling nutrient levels and pasture management. The tour also served as an opportunity for our citizens and farmers to see agriculture in different parts of our County on various soil and site conditions.  

We would like to extend a very special thank you to all of the farm participants for allowing us the opportunity to visit their sites and view their agricultural innovations and farming practices.  We are also extending a very special thank you to our sponsors, Carolina Farm Credit and Davidson County Farm Bureau for their financial support in making this tour possible.