Source: NCDA&CS, 8/27/19

The N.C. Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund recently awarded more than $12.6 million to help communities across the state protect farmland and promote agricultural enterprises. More than $12.2 million went towards obtaining conservation easements on 13,351 acres of land across the state. This includes over $6.7 million in funding for 9,271 acres easements in priority areas for the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Marine Corps. 

These projects leverage over $13.5 million in secured matching funds from military, local, private and nonprofit partners. There is the potential to bring in an additional $10.7 million to the state in U.S. Department of Agriculture funding for certain easement projects.

“From mountain farms to tracts down east in military priority areas, these grant awards will make a positive contribution on our agricultural economy by keeping North Carolina families on the farm,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler.


The following is a list of awarded conservation easement projects:

• Alamance County received $101,054 to help purchase a conservation easement on 65 acres.
• Beaufort Soil and Water Conservation District received $22,750 to preserve 48 acres.
• Blue Ridge Conservancy received $313,300 to purchase a conservation easement on a 355-acre farm in Alleghany County.
• Buncombe Soil and Water Conservation District received $84,560 to preserve 38 acres of a farm and $178,745 for a conservation easement on 57 acres.
• Conserving Carolina received $101,188 to help purchase a conservation easement on a 22-acre farm in Henderson County and $98,100 to preserve 18 acres of farm and forestland in Polk County.
• Davie Soil and Water Conservation District received $185,000 to help purchase a conservation easement on 84 acres.
• Duplin Soil and Water Conservation District received $30,650 to preserve 47 acres.

• Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina received $318,618 to help purchase a conservation easement on a 385-acre farm in Rutherford County and $297,850 to preserve 210 acres of farm and forestland in Caldwell County.
• Haywood Soil and Water Conservation District received $183,797 to preserve 43 acres of a farm and $158,511 for a conservation easement on 47 acres.
• Lincoln Soil and Water Conservation District received $360,607 to help purchase a conservation easement on 55 acres.
• Mainspring Conservation Trust received $356,000 to help purchase a conservation easement on 101 acres of a farm in Cherokee County.
• Piedmont Land Conservancy received $79,060 to help purchase a conservation easement on a 64-acre farm in Chatham County and $159,221 to preserve 285 acres of farm and forestland in Surry County.
• Randolph Soil and Water Conservation District received $222,800 to preserve 200 acres of a farm and $204,360 for a conservation easement on 205 acres.
• Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy received $418,400 to help purchase a conservation easement on a 213-acre farm in Buncombe County and $259,083 to preserve 240 acres of farm and forestland in Haywood County.
• Three Rivers Land Trust received $397,100 to help purchase a conservation easement on a 279-acre farm in Iredell County and $547,100 to preserve 600 acres of farm and forestland in Davie County.
• Triangle Land Conservancy received $185,065 to purchase a conservation easement on a 90-acre farm in Wake County.
• Working Lands Trust received $292,908 to help purchase a conservation easement on a 138-acre farm in Hyde County and $28,600 to preserve 191 acres of forestland in Onslow County.

The following is a list of awarded agricultural plans and agricultural development projects:
• Ashe County received $27,500 for a project, Ashe County Regional Livestock Center Feasibility Study, to commission a feasibility analysis for a regional, multi-purpose livestock center consisting of an aggregation facility with scales, processing infrastructure, show ring, and a large conference room.
• Mountain Valleys Resource Conservation and Development Council received $50,000 for a project, EnergyCAP AgEnergy Grant Program, to establish a cost-share grant program to support energy-saving initiatives on local farms.

• N.C. Foundation for Soil and Water Conservation received $55,000 for a project, Western N.C. Farm Resilience, to promote agricultural weather resiliency at the farm level by introducing and refining USDA technical resources via five carbon farm demonstrations on local farms.
• Onslow Soil and Water Conservation District received $17,000 for a project, Onslow County No-Till Drill Education and Rental Program, to purchase of a no-till drill to rent out to Onslow County farmers and to use for demonstrations and educational workshops for farmers in Onslow County and neighboring counties.
• Polk County received $15,000 to develop a Cost of Community Services Study for the county.
• Southwestern N.C. Resource Conservation and Development Council received $32,500 for a project, N.C. Trout Farms Best Management Practices, to work with trout industry and the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality to implement water quality protocol to document typical levels of nutrients.
• University of Mount Olive received $100,000 for a project, Creating and Sustaining Agricultural Opportunities through Farm Diversification and Education, to construct a commodity grading, packing, and storage facility on the student farm. The facility will be used for trainings and demonstrations for students and local farmers.
• Wilkes Soil and Water Conservation District received $14,000 to develop a Farmland Protection Plan for the county.
• The Working Lands Trust was awarded $5,618,071 for nine farms, accounting for 7,590 acres in Bertie, Hyde, Tyrrell, and Washington counties, in the Seymour Johnson Air Force Base priority area.
• The Working Lands Trust was awarded $1,091,724 for seven farms, accounting for 1,681 acres in Jones, Onslow, and Pamlico counties, in the Marine Corps Installations East priority area.