Former Belk CEO tapped for leadership role in farm-preservation effort

CHARLOTTE — Former Belk CEO Tim Belk is taking the helm of a new initiative to support farmers in the Charlotte region and preserve 5,000 acres of valuable farmland.

Belk will chair the Carolina Farms Fund’s board, which is looking to raise $17 million. It’s part of an expansion of The Conservation Fund’s National Farms Fund, which launched in Atlanta in 2020 and expanded to Chicago last year.

“They started to say, ‘Hey, this is worth taking other places. So, we raised our hand, and we’re the third location to start,” Belk says.

It’s taken roughly 18 months to work out the details. The Carolina Farm Fund is centered on a 15-county area around Charlotte, or within roughly 75 miles of the city. There are already eight farmers in the pipeline to possibly participate.

The overall Farms Fund is focused on mitigating the loss of farmland, local food systems and creating affordable farm ownership opportunities for next-generation and minority farmers in the Charlotte region. The goal is to preserve 5,000 acres in the 15-county area.

Keep reading on the CBJ website here.

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