NCDA&CS awards $18.2 million in farmland preservation grants
RALEIGH – The N.C. Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund recently awarded $18.2 million to protect working farms and forests, support county farmland preservation efforts and promote agricultural enterprises.
Over $8.8 million was awarded for 20 agricultural conservation easements on 1,392 acres of farm and forestland across the state. Five counties were awarded grants under the new Agricultural Growth Zones program, an initiative to combine state and local funding on agricultural conservation easements in areas of strategic importance to local agricultural communities.
“The need for farmland preservation in North Carolina is at an all-time high as we continue to attract new businesses and new residents to the state,” said N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “As development pressure continues to build, we have an opportunity to help farmers who wish to stay on their land through farmland preservation grants like these.
The following is a list of awarded agricultural conservation easement projects:
- Alamance Soil and Water Conservation District received $58,295 to preserve a 17-acre farm.
- Haywood Soil and Water Conservation District received two grants totaling $364,100 to protect 87 acres of working land on two farms.
- Johnston Soil and Water Conservation District received $827,025 to preserve 159 acres of farmland.
- Mainspring Conservation Trust received two grants totaling $481,026 to protect 56 acres of working land on two farms in Cherokee County.
- Piedmont Land Conservancy received $256,434 to protect 109 acres of farmland on a farm in Surry County.
- Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy received $205,020 to protect 201 acres of farmland in Haywood County.
- Three Rivers Land Trust received four grants totaling $1,572,810 to protect 308 acres of farmland on four farms in Cabarrus and Rowan counties.
- Triangle Land Conservancy received $587,231 to preserve 74 acres of working land in Lee County.
- Wake Soil and Water Conservation District three grants totaling $1,977,072 to protect 115 acres of working land on three farms.
- Working Lands Trust received four grants totaling $2,479,006 to preserve 262 acres of farmland on four farms in Lenior, Moore and Rockingham counties.
“This year the trust fund received 124 grant applications and $47 million in funding requests – the most ever for the program. We will continue to push for more funding to ensure we have the natural resources available to sustain ourselves in the future,” Commissioner Troxler said.
