Agritourism & Innovation: The Rise of Regenerative Farming in the Sandhills and Piedmont
For generations, the standard playbook for rural land in North Carolina’s Piedmont and Sandhills regions was clear-cut: you chose a single lane. You farmed crops, you managed timber, or you raised livestock.
But today, a major shift is redefining the North Carolina countryside. Driven by a wave of eco-conscious consumers and landowners looking for financial resilience, a new movement is taking root—one focused on multi-use land, agritourism, and regenerative agriculture.
Instead of asking what a piece of land can do, innovative owners are asking: How many distinct, sustainable revenue streams can this acreage support simultaneously?
Innovation in Action: The Biscoe Success Story
You don't have to look far to see what this concept looks like at scale. Just a few minutes down the road from Star, the Montgomery Sheep Farm in Biscoe is rewriting the rules on how clean energy and agriculture intersect.
Spanning 200 acres, this innovative operation is a leading example of agrivoltaics—the practice of co-locating solar energy production with active farming.
Instead of relying on heavy machinery and fossil fuels to mow the vegetation beneath their 28-megawatt solar array, the farm utilizes a herd of hundreds of Katahdin and Dorper sheep to handle the landscaping naturally.
The benefits are circular and highly lucrative:
Shade & Microclimates: The massive solar panels act like a forest canopy, lowering soil temperatures and allowing nutrient-rich cool-weather grasses like clover and fescue to flourish through hot North Carolina summers.
Soil Regeneration: As the sheep graze, they naturally fertilize the land, rapidly building up dark, crumbly organic matter in soil that was previously depleted.
Diversified Revenue: The property generates predictable income from selling clean power back to the local grid while simultaneously producing high-quality, pasture-raised lamb cuts and specialty salami.
Agritourism Draw: By transforming the infrastructure into a destination, they host upscale farm-to-table dinners and rent out an on-site historic farm cabin to travelers seeking an immersive agritourism experience.
Scaling It Down: How Small-Scale Farmers in Star Can Adapt
You don't need a 200-acre commercial solar array to benefit from this multi-use philosophy. For those looking at 10, 20, or 50-acre tracts in the Star, Ether, or Seagrove areas, small-scale innovation is entirely within reach.
If you are looking to purchase or maximize a rural property, consider these three highly accessible paths to land diversification:
1. Boutique Farm-Stay Rentals
Modern travelers aren't just looking for a place to sleep; they are looking for an escape from city life. Converting an old tobacco barn, building a modern tiny home, or setting up a luxury canvas glamping site can turn a quiet corner of your property into a high-yielding short-term rental. Guests will pay a premium to wake up to views of pastures, watch the morning mist rise off a farm pond, and experience the slow pace of rural Montgomery County.
2. High-Margin Farm-to-Table Events
Rather than selling livestock or produce strictly at wholesale prices, bridge the gap directly to the consumer. Partner with local chefs or nearby Seagrove potters to host exclusive, ticketed farm-to-table dinners right in your pasture or barn. It transforms your raw agricultural product into a memorable "experience," allowing you to capture much higher profit margins per acre while building a deeply loyal base of local customers.
3. Small-Scale Agrivoltaics & Pollinator Habitats
With federal grants like the USDA’s Renewable Energy for America Program (REAP) expanding rapidly, small-scale farmers can offset the cost of installing localized solar arrays to power their own barns, wells, and equipment.
The Takeaway: The most resilient farms of the future won't rely on a single harvest. By blending ecological stewardship with creative revenue streams, landowners in Star can protect the heritage of the land while ensuring it remains highly profitable for generations to come.