This hillside, just over an hour west of Raleigh, will soon belong to the winner of an essay contest. Bluebird Hill Farm owner and operator Norma Burns says she’s ready to retire to an urban Raleigh lifestyle, and when she does, she’ll give her organic farm to the couple who writes the most compelling 200-word essay about “why we want to own and operate Bluebird Hill Farm.” Burns says her “gift of good land” is a nod to writer and environmentalist Wendell Berry.

bluebirdhillfarmessaycontest.com