In the late 1960s, the landscape of the Blacklands Northeastern North Carolina was changing. Thousands of acres of our organic soil was being cleared and developed by small individual landowners as well as large corporations. Within a day's ride of almost all of the major cities on the eastern seaboard, the region was the perfect place to replace acreage lost to roads, housing, shopping center, and airports in other parts of the United States. The agri-business future looked bright for us.

As promising as these coming changes were, they were not without fraught. Land and farm managers were faced with developmental techniques, soil nutrient deficiencies, weed and insect control, water management and a host of environmental issues.

The North Carolina State University's Cooperative Extension Service in Beaufort, Hyde, Tyrrell, and Washington counties was overwhelmed with questions and concerns they were unable to answer. While it was clear that much research was needed, where to start was a bit more difficult to pin down. The need for an organized consensus was obvious.

In 1970, the Blacklands Farm Managers Association, representing interests in those four counties, was formed. Later, Carteret County was added. Improving our understanding of management requirements needed to develop high organic soils to utilize them to their fullest potential remains our goal today.

We are a membership organization and our strength lies in our members. We have a great rapport with North Carolina State University, the North Carolina Department of Agriculture, and the North Carolina Legislature, all of whom have been attentive to our united voice.