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(exerpted from and with permission of The Furrow Magazine)

"Women Caring for the Land" article by Dean Houghton

Promoting ag values

Debbie Worley serves on the advisory board for the Wayne County Voluntary Agricultural District. That's a program put in place for this eastern North Carolina county that is designed to boost pride in the agricultural community and way of life. It's also intended to support the financial health of farm and forest land while helping protect it from non-farm development.

"There are about 12,000 acres in the county that have become part of the voluntary ag district," she says. "We have put up signs on our farm that show we are in the ag district, and that we are proud of what we do."

The Worley operation is a family farm that grows hogs, turkeys, cattle, and a variety of field crops. The family has received a number of state and national awards for its stewardship of the environment, recognizing the extra steps that have been taken to protect the nearby Neuse River.

"I've always tried to take the opportunity to speak up for agriculture," Worley says. "There aren't that many of us left. We have to show that we're interested in doing the right thing, leaving our planet a better place."

To read the full article, click here.

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