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Farmland Protection
The Conservation Trust for North Carolina and many of the state's local land trusts work closely with farmers and government agencies to protect productive farms. Protecting working farms and farmland safeguards an important part of North Carolina’s economy, culture, scenery and natural environment. Many farms are on the fringe of rapidly growing urban areas and possess important natural areas in addition to being productive agricultural land. Many have also been owned by the same family for generations and have great historical and sentimental importance. Agriculture, including farm and forest products, is NC’s largest industry.
The Conservation Trust administered the North Carolina Farmland Preservation Program from 1998 through 2003 when the program received state funding. The goal of the program is to permanently protect working farms that provide important economic and ecological benefits to the state. Grants were made to land trusts and qualified local governments and non-profits. Funds from the grants covered the purchase of conservation agreements and transaction and monitoring costs. The grants were also be used to match funds from federal programs such as the Farm and Ranchland Protection Program.
The North Carolina Farmland Preservation Program received $2.6 million in funding from 1998 to 2003. The program leveraged over $26 million in other funds and equivalent values of donated development rights and protected 4,412 acres of working farms. Due to state budget constraints the program received only $192,000 for projects in 2002 and $200,000 in 2003. The program was not funded in 2004 or 2005. A key priority of land trusts is to restore funding for this vital program. Map of Protected Farms |
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Open space protection and farmland preservation are becoming more and more important as urban areas grow and spread into the countryside. Every year in America, nearly 1 million acres of farmland are lost to poorly managed development. North Carolina loses farmland to development at the fifth fastest rate in the country. Loss of farmland has lasting economic and environmental impacts on the state and local communities. Farmland protection in North Carolina not only saves the state’s rural, historic, ecological and economic resources, but also saves counties and municipalities money as they struggle to deal with the increasing financial burdens of urbanization.
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North Carolina lost more than 100,000 acres of farmland per year to development from 1992-1997, the fifth highest rate in the U.S. |
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North Carolina has lost more than 37% of its land in farm use since 1964. |
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North Carolina farmland lost to development (31%) contained prime and unique farmland soils as defined by the United States Department of Agriculture. |
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Agriculture is North Carolina’s biggest industry, contributing an estimated $62.6 billion to the state’s economy each year from farm sales, jobs, and farm-related industries. This accounts for 22% of the State’s economy. |
Graham Farm - The LandTrust for Central North Carolina
 The 124-acre Graham Farm is located in southern Davidson County along Interstate 85. Despite tremendous development pressures, the area remains a hub of agricultural activities consisting of thousands of acres of working farmland. The Graham Farm has remained in the same family since the original land grant in 1762, and is subject to best management practices including "never-till" crop production. The conservation easement on the Graham Farm was signed and recorded on December 15, 2003 protecting this farm for agricultural use in perpetuity.
Preservation of the Graham Farm was made possible by a combination of funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm and Ranchland Protection Program and the NC Farmland Preservation Program, as well as a donation of funds and staff time by The LandTrust for Central North Carolina. The North Carolina Farmland Preservation Program contribution to the preservation of this farm constitutes roughly 33% of the value of the easement, once again illustrating the power of this State program to leverage federal and private dollars for conservation projects in North Carolina.
Efforts to protect the Graham Farm have spurred other farmland preservation interest on adjacent farms. A ‘Day on the Land Celebration’ was held last year on this property to promote farmland preservation and introduce people to life on a working farm in North Carolina. Members of the NC General Assembly and NC Department of Agriculture staff attended that event.
Taylor Family Farm - High Country Conservancy
 The Taylor Farm is a “legacy farm”, designated as such because it is in its 6 th generation of continuous farm use by the Taylor family, pre-dating the Civil War. High Country Conservancy initiated protection of this farm as the first agricultural parcel in the Valle Crucis Historic District. The popularity of this area for second-home development threatens the scenic, agrarian landscapes which make it so attractive. High Country Conservancy hopes the Taylor Family Farm will serve as the cornerstone of their conservation efforts in the Valle Crucis area and along Scenic Byway 194. This road has been identified as one of America’s 10 most endangered scenic byways by Scenic America.
The Taylor Farm easement provides considerable water quality benefits, as it contains the confluence of three creeks, which actually form the cross shape for which the valley is named (Valle Crucis is Spanish for “Valley of the Cross”). The farm is adjacent to the Valle Crucis Episcopal Conference Center, which is in the process of negotiating a conservation easement on its 450 acres. Permanent preservation of these two properties will provide a sizeable area of cultural significance in this historic area of Watauga County.
Goat Lady Dairy - Piedmont Land Conservancy
 The Piedmont Land Conservancy (PLC) and the Tate Family protected 23 acres of the renowned Goat Lady Dairy with a permanent conservation agreement. PLC purchased this conservation easement on the farm in a bargain sale; the Tate Family donated a portion of the easement and the North Carolina’s Farmland Preservation Program provided the remainder of the funding for the purchase. Landowner Steve Tate stated, “Our family is grateful to have the opportunity to permanently protect the Dairy, and the funding received for this conservation easement will enable our small farm to grow enough to be sustainable into the next generation.”
Known for its delicious goat cheese, the Goat Lady Dairy is a working family farm owned by the Tates since 1985. The Dairy, operated by Ginnie Tate, her brother Steve and his wife Lee Tate, began producing goat milk and cheese in 1996 and today includes a herd of 60 goats of three different breeds. The Dairy produces approximately 250 pounds of goat cheese a week, supplying local restaurants and selling directly to the public at local stores and farmers markets. The Tates also host “Dinner at the Dairy” once a month, which is a five-course meal featuring food grown on the farm.
Goat Lady Dairy will continue to be used by the Tate Family for agricultural purposes, including limited sustainable forestry. While this Dairy remains a working farm, PLC will work with the family and future landowners to ensure that the property’s rich productive soils, scenic views, aquatic resources and open space character are maintained forever.
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