Agricultural Conservation Easement

The Agricultural Conservation Easement funding opportunity is administered by the North Carolina Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund within the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The program is designed to address the rapid loss of farmland across the state by supporting the permanent or long-term protection of working agricultural, horticultural, and forest lands. The fund provides competitive grants to eligible entities to secure conservation easements that restrict non agricultural development while maintaining the productive use of land for farming and forestry. This initiative is a central tool in preserving family farms and sustaining the agricultural economy in North Carolina. The primary purpose of this funding opportunity is to finance the purchase or facilitation of agricultural conservation easements. These easements may be perpetual, term based, or donated. Perpetual easements permanently extinguish development rights and may receive partial financial compensation through grant funds. Term easements restrict development for a defined period such as 30, 40, or 50 years and are also eligible for partial funding. Donated easements involve landowners voluntarily contributing the full easement value as an in kind donation and may only request funding for associated transactional and due diligence costs. Across all types, the program emphasizes the protection of land that is actively used for agriculture, horticulture, or forestry production. Eligible applicants are limited to nonprofit conservation organizations and county governments as defined by state statute. Individual farmers and landowners cannot apply independently and must partner with an eligible organization to participate. Proposed projects must meet several criteria, including being located within North Carolina, having full landowner agreement, meeting environmental and title prescreen requirements, and satisfying minimum acreage thresholds depending on land use type. Applications may include multiple parcels provided they are under common ownership and geographically proximate. The application process is structured into three required parts for conservation easement proposals. Part one collects initial applicant and project information and opens in early August and closes at the end of August. Part two gathers detailed project data, documentation, and budget information and runs from mid September through late December. Part three, specific to conservation easements, collects additional documentation for competitive scoring and runs from early November through late December. All components must be completed by their respective deadlines, and incomplete or late submissions are disqualified. Applications undergo a multi step evaluation process. After submission, eligible projects are scheduled for site visits involving both the applicant and landowner. Applications are then scored based on criteria including soil quality, proximity to other farmland, development pressure, land use characteristics, and the presence of agricultural production. Budget scoring is also applied, with additional weight given to secured cash matching funds. Final funding decisions are made by the Commissioner of Agriculture in consultation with an advisory committee, based on application rankings. Funding amounts vary depending on the type of easement and project valuation. There is no maximum grant request for conservation easement applications, but funding is limited to a percentage of the easement value. For perpetual easements, up to fifty percent of the estimated value may be requested. Matching funds are required in most cases, with nonprofit organizations typically required to provide at least thirty percent match, and county requirements varying based on economic tier designation and planning status. Matching funds may include both cash and in kind contributions, and documentation is required to verify secured funding. The grant period extends through September 2029 or September 2030 depending on funding sources, and projects are expected to complete easement recording within one year of contract execution. Applicants must adhere to strict documentation, budgeting, and compliance requirements throughout the process. Contact for the program is provided through the Farmland Preservation Division in Raleigh, North Carolina, where applicants can obtain additional guidance and support during the application process.

Ensure all three application parts are completed on time; secure matching funds early; provide complete documentation to avoid disqualification; coordinate closely with landowners