South Carolina family permanently protects 2,000-acre farm from development in historic deal

A South Carolina family has permanently protected 2,000 acres of farmland, forests and waterways that had remained in private ownership for generations. The Creekland Farms property in Laurens County was placed under a conservation easement in 2025, preventing future development while allowing the landowners to continue using it for agriculture, forestry and recreation. The Nature Conservancy described the agreement as the largest conservation easement in Laurens County’s history. The farm once supported champion Hereford and Polled Shorthorn cattle, Rhode Island Red chickens and thoroughbred horses. Today, its fields and forests remain connected to the 170,000-acre Enoree District of the Sumter National Forest, creating a protected landscape in a rapidly growing part of South Carolina. Read on to know more:A family farm under pressureCreekland Farms sits in Laurens County, an area located between Greenville, Spartanburg and Columbia. The property’s rural setting has remained important to the family, but the region is experiencing rapid growth and increasing development pressure. The Nature Conservancy said Laurens County is the third-fastest-growing county in South Carolina’s Upst...