We sit down with Adam Caldwell to unpack why Johnston County leads the nation in projected farmland loss, what a UDO really changes on the ground, and how citizen input can shape a better balance between growth, jobs, and agriculture. We cover buffers, bona fide farm status, easements, tax impacts, and the push to bring high-paying jobs closer to home.

• why farmland loss in North Carolina accelerates and why Johnston County tops the list
• what a unified development ordinance is and how it affects farms and neighborhoods
• why early engagement matters
• conservation easements and local resources that keep land in production
• the cost of residential growth versus the fiscal benefits of ag and commercial uses
• strategies to attract high-paying jobs and reduce commuter outflow
• balancing property rights with the need to preserve prime soils
• farmland preservation as local resilience and national security

Don’t forget to subscribe and follow us on Instagram
If you got a question or a topic you want us to dig into, let us know
We want to hear from you
Join the conversation

Find us on Instagram @raisedonthefarm
Questions? Email us at raisedonthefarmpodcast@gmail.com

We sit down with Brandon Batten, a farmer in Johnston County, NC to talk farming, faith, farmland loss/preservation, and the importance of getting involved in our communities.

Johnston County is is among the top 5 fastest growing counties in the state and one of the top counties nationally for farmland loss.

Find us on Instagram @raisedonthefarm
Questions? Email us at raisedonthefarmpodcast@gmail.com

Chad, Marisa, and Marlowe gather round the mic to talk AI...artificial intelligence that is. Does it have a place in agriculture? How are we seeing it being used? What concerns and benefits do we see? It's all on episode 34, the first of 2026.

If you’ve got a question or a topic you want us to dig into, let us know—we want to hear from you. Join the conversation!

Find us on Instagram @raisedonthefarm
Questions? Email us at raisedonthefarmpodcast@gmail.com