Agricultural Preservation Board outlines five‑year farmland stewardship plan to curb farmland loss

Jane Sayers, speaking for the Agricultural Preservation Board, presented a draft Agricultural Viability and Farmland Stewardship Plan and a set of recommendations the board says are designed to be implemented over five years and be updated biennially.

“Sustainable agriculture…uses the resources that we need to farm and live conservingly,” Sayers said, defining sustainable agriculture in the presentation as practices that maintain and enhance soil, water and air while supporting local food systems.

The plan, Sayers said, follows North Carolina statutory guidance for eligibility for state farmland protection funding and updates the county’s 2009 plan. The Agricultural Preservation Board identified three primary goals: (1) plan for agriculture by elevating farmland stewardship in land use decisions; (2) conserve farmland through direct measures such as conservation and working‑lands easements and transition planning; and (3) enhance agricultural economic viability through education, agritourism, wholesale market development and targeted incentives.

Recommendations highlighted in the draft include increasing the rate of lands‑legacy and working‑lands easements, using the county voluntary agricultural district program as a pathway to permanent easements, establishing a farmland stewardship coordinator position on county staff, expanding farmer training and access to wholesale markets (including using food hubs to aggregate product), and exploring funding sources such as deferred tax proceeds when land leaves present‑use valuation. Board members and commissioners probed details on estate and transition planning, how conservation easements are written to allow or restrict agritourism and on the estimated cost to protect priority acres. In discussion, the board noted that protecting roughly 300 acres of high‑priority open space could require millions in public and partner financing; staff pointed to existing Land’s Legacy and conservation easement funds in the CIP as partial sources.

Sayers and Agricultural Preservation Board members told commissioners the plan reflects farmer survey results showing that 40% of farms reported under $2,500 in sales and that only about 30% of producers currently identify farming as their principal source of income. The board asked the county to consider a mix of technical assistance, funding mechanisms and partner coordination to make farmland stewardship measures practical for working farmers. The board will return with a revised plan that incorporates commissioner feedback before asking the county to adopt the plan for state‑program eligibility.