Episode Details

In 2020, the world tilted on its axis. For the Upstate of South Carolina, that tilt sent a wave of 100,000 new residents crashing into our pastures. As we cross the milestone of one million neighbors, the infinite horizon of the American South has officially hit a bottleneck.

This week, Kim dives into the canyon between agricultural value and development prices. From the ingenious survival strategy of European track systems to the personal desperation of cashing out a retirement to save her farm by purchasing thirty acres, we’re talking about the high cost of holding the line. Is a farm just a vacant lot waiting for a purpose, or is it the essential, self-sustaining lung of a growing city?

In this episode, we discuss:

The Million-Resident Milestone: The rapid expansion of the Greenville-Anderson-Greer, South Carolina metro area.

The Mother of Invention: Why land scarcity in the Netherlands and the UK forced a smarter way to keep horses, and why we’re next.

The Hidden Subsidy: The math that proves farms actually lower your taxes, while subdivisions send you the bill.

Legislative Victories: A look at the Old White Horse Road Corridor victory and the new SC laws fighting to protect 7 million acres by 2050.

Lavender Hill: A raw look at the survival of a 30-acre heart of a 1,100-acre legacy.

Once our dirt is buried under six inches of concrete, the conversation is over. The soil doesn’t get a second chance. And neither do we.

Connect & Support:

Read the full essay and see the data: at Stable Roots on Substack

Subscribe to Stable Roots: Join our community of land stewards and help us hold the line against the asphalt funnel.

Follow on Facebook: @kim.carter.equestrian

And on Instagram: @two_point

About Stable Roots: Stable Roots is a weekly exploration of land, legacy, and the grit it takes to keep them both. Hosted by Kim Carter, a farm owner and advocate in the Upstate of South Carolina, we look at the intersections of agriculture, economics, and the equestrian life in an increasingly crowded world.