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Farming legacy and development stand in the Nansemond River's path
Phillip Edwards Jr. stands with his back to the Nansemond River, his eyes fixed on a massive combine that cuts a swath of brown earth.
It's early December and his calm demeanor belies an impending sense of urgency. The soybeans before him should have been harvested weeks ago.
If they aren't picked soon they will fall from the vine. It would cost too much money and take too much time to retrieve them. The crop would be lost. So, too, would Edwards' profit.
The combine sputters exhaust as it pivots to spit its load into a truck bed. Edwards springs into action, climbing the bed and leveling a mound of soybeans with outstretched arms. He hops down as the combine pulls away and returns to the field.
"This is farming," he said. "There ain't nothing romantic to it; it's just about loading up and going."