Farmland Protection Advisory Board details easements, grants and strategy update to Durham County commissioners

The Farmland Protection Advisory Board presented its 2025 annual report to the Durham County Board of County Commissioners on matters including three proposed conservation easements, the board's $250,000 agricultural grants program and an update to its farmland protection strategy.

The report included a consent-agenda item read earlier in the meeting listing acquisition of three conservation easements — 119 acres (Sandra and Jerry Wrightenberry), 147 acres (Francis Cook) and 76 acres (Tom Washington) — with a total estimated county cost of $1,800,000. The easement acquisitions were presented as part of the consent agenda; the transcript does not record a final vote on those items.

Farmland Protection Advisory Board chair Nicole Connolly summarized the board's core work as partnering with the county Open Space program and Durham Soil and Water to identify and support permanent conservation easements and to support working farms. "We are so grateful to get to participate in" conservation easement work and local partnerships, Connolly said.

The board described ongoing programs that aim to sustain farmland and farming livelihoods. The county maintains an annual agricultural grant program with roughly $250,000 available in awards and grant caps of up to $10,000 per project, Connolly said, supporting a range of recipients from large-scale producers to small, niche urban growers. The board also promotes the county's voluntary agricultural district program that provides public notice of agricultural use and district signage; the report said Southern High School's carpentry class builds the signs.

Open Space and Real Estate Division manager Celeste Burns described how the county recognizes owners of conservation easements at closings and through occasional public announcements for those landowners who wish to be public. "Some folks are pretty private and kind of want to keep their privacy," Burns said, adding that staff will look for opportunities to celebrate donors while protecting privacy.

Connolly and board members said they are updating the farmland protection strategy in partnership with the Foothills Regional Commission to align with the county's Unified Development Ordinance work and community input collected since late 2024. The updated strategy is expected to pass through drafting and refinement later in the year.

Commissioners thanked the board and asked about school partnerships, rail-trail opportunities and workforce pipelines. Commissioner Brenda Burton noted the board's work with schools and asked whether Future Farmers of America programs were engaged; Connolly and Soil and Water staff confirmed relationships with local high schools and regular participation in events such as the Farmers Appreciation Dinner.

Board members and county staff emphasized persistent challenges: loss of access to land, succession and economics that make buying farmland difficult for new and beginning farmers, and the need to maintain markets for farm products so producers can be economically viable. The board highlighted outreach activities such as farmland breakfasts, school partnerships, and efforts to make farmer products accessible through markets and SNAP/WIC programs.

The Farmland Protection Advisory Board said it will continue outreach and return to the Board of County Commissioners with the updated strategy when it is ready for review.

Commissioners and board members also noted Durham County's certification with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Agricultural Land Easement Program and said the status could streamline some federal grant processes; staff called that an accomplishment earned over multiple years of work.

The presentation was followed by commissioner questions and a pledge to keep the board updated as the strategy and easement work proceed.