Agriculture is North Carolina’s No. 1 industry, but North Carolina ranks second in the nation for most threatened farmland. That is why “saving family farms” is one of the three core tenets of Three Rivers Land Trust’s conservation mission. To that end, TRLT is proud to announce the recent awarding of four grants to conserve farms here in the Piedmont.

The North Carolina Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund (ADFP) announced awards for its 2024 grant cycle on Sept. 4, and TRLT was pleased to have the maximum number of four projects funded. This includes three farms in Rowan County and one in Cabarrus County. The total amount awarded is $1,572,810 and will permanently conserve 308 acres.

Each local farm that is receiving grant funding is different. The 70-acre row crop farm in Cabarrus County is in a highly developing area. The 87-acre Rowan County farm near Mooresville is in timber and rotational small grains, and is near other lands protected by TRLT.

A 33-acre farm in western Rowan is a century farm, having been in the family for more than 100 years, and is mostly comprised of pastureland, hay, corn and soybeans. A 118-acre farm, also in western Rowan, is owned by beginning farmers focused on pasture-raised, non-GMO, regenerative agriculture. This farm also serves as an educational farm for children, with cows, goats, chickens, lambs and pigs.

“Conserving family farms is a key component of Three Rivers Land Trust’s work,” said Executive Director Travis Morehead. “North Carolina is projected to lose another million acres of agricultural lands by 2040, and so conserving these farms while they are still available is critically important to protecting our local food supply, prime agricultural soils, farming communities and the region’s rural character. We are grateful to the landowners who have committed to conserving their farms through this state grant funding.”

“There is no shortage of interest among farmers for protecting farmland in the 15-county region TRLT serves,” said Senior Land Protection Specialist Emily Callicutt. “We have a waiting list of over 30 farmers who want us to seek funding to help them conserve their land, and could protect more than 4,000 acres if we had funding available.”

To speak with a land trust representative about options to conserve your property, or to support Three Rivers Land Trust in their conservation mission, contact Emily Callicutt, senior land protection specialist at emily@trlt.org or 704-647-0302.

About Three Rivers Land Trust

Three Rivers Land Trust works with private landowners and public agencies to conserve the most important natural, scenic, agricultural and historic places in a 15-county region of the Piedmont and Sandhills of North Carolina. Since 1995, the Land Trust has worked to offer reasonable and attractive options to landowners who want to conserve their lands for future generations to enjoy. Our mission is to work thoughtfully and selectively with property owners to conserve land, natural areas, rural landscapes, family farms and historic places within North Carolina’s central Piedmont and Sandhills.

For more information about Three Rivers Land Trust, contact the Land Trust at 704-647-0302 or emily@trlt.org or go to www.trlt.org.