This past Tuesday, Chatham County Extension Service hosted a Farm and Industry Tour for the general public. Both farms on the tour are TLC conservation easement projects in Silk Hope: Lindley Farms Creamery and Cohen Farm. Sisters Ann and Janice of Lindley Farms pasteurize fresh whole milk from their Guernsey and Holstein cows on site to make delicious cheesecakes and cheese products that they sell locally - www.lindleyfarmscreamery.com. 

Murray and Esta Cohen placed a conservation easement on their original 102-acre farmstead this past spring. The Cohens talked about their certified organic hay and grain, Animal Welfare Approved free-range eggs, pasture raised pork and beef, and seasonal produce - www.cohenfarm.com.

The Cohens were gracious enough to allow me to steal a few minutes from their tour and talk about TLC’s work in the Silk Hope farming community. TLC has been working with landowners in Silk Hope for the past five years to protect their family farms with conservation easements so the land remains available for farming in the future. The Chatham Farmland Preservation Plan identified this section of the county as priority area for farmland conservation and TLC hopes to eventually protect over 1500 acres of productive agricultural land in the community.