WANTED: People interested in preserving the productive land of Richmond County.

Clinton McRae, county director, N.C. Cooperative Extension-Richmond Center, is looking for people to register for a meeting intended to work on a plan for preservation of farmland.

Those who register by today will be entitled to a free dinner at the center at 123 E. Caroline St. in Rockingham, at 6 p.m. Feb. 25. Call 997-8255 for a reservation.

“Preserving our farmland is important not just for farmers and landowners,” McRae said, “it is also important for those rural non-farm families who live throughout the county and city and town dwellers as well.”

“Preserving America’s farmland is important for consumers of agricultural products, which includes everyone,” he said. “If we don’t protect farmlands, where will we get our food in the future?”

The meeting is in coordination with surveys which were recently mailed out to county residents and are available at the extension office asking questions about how residents feeling about farm operations in the county.

Ideas are being sought, McRae said, to develop a Working Lands Protection Plan to better coordinate growth in the county while protecting farmland and forests.

The plan when implemented will create opportunities for landowners to apply for grants and other financial incentives offered by the state and other granting agencies.

“Agriculture and forestry are important to the long-term viability of our community,” he said.

“It is vital to get the opinions of agricultural producers, timber landowners, agri-business a non-farm residents in preparing a plan,” McRae said. list