290 acres Conservation Easement
Beecher Grose has farmed the HaHo Dairy in the Harmony area since 1950 with his wife, Mary Lee. The farm has been in his family for over a hundred years. Today Beecher’s son Neal runs the farm, although Beecher and Mary Lee still own the majority of the land and stay involved with the farming operation.
Beecher Grose is a hero of conservation, one of the first farmer’s in the state to adopt and promote no-till farming. Today Neal is carrying on in Beecher’s fine tradition. In Beecher’s own words: “When I consider the years of work that we have put into this farm, the potential that I see here in agriculture, the beauty that I see at any time of day, the wildlife that enjoy this farm, and the tranquility, it not only makes me be thankful for what I see, but it makes me want to share this experience with others. I hope this experience is available for future generations. By conserving my family’s Centennial Farm with a conservation easement, I can rest assured that someone in the future will enjoy the same experience.”
Funding for this project was provided by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Fund and the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Farm and Ranch Protection Program. Iredell County Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) Soil Conservationist Jim Summers and other members of the Iredell SWCD board also played instrumental roles in completing this project, as did Statesville attorney William Pope and Salisbury attorney Andy Abramson.
Most of all we want to thank Beecher and Neal for entrusting us with a conservation easement on their 490-acre farm. Working with dedicated and caring conservationists such as the Grose family is a big part of what makes our jobs so worthwhile.