Henderson County awarded $424,571 state grant for farmland preservation; county matches funds

Angela Price, coordinator for Henderson County’s Farmland Preservation program, announced that the county was awarded a $424,571 Agricultural Growth Zone (AGZ) grant in March 2026 from the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to support conservation easements and program operations.

Price said the county established a Farmland Preservation Taskforce in April 2024 to preserve agricultural land, support local food production and protect rural character amid rising development pressures. She described conservation easements as legal agreements that keep land in agricultural use while allowing farmers to retain ownership.

According to Price, the County Commissioners matched the state grant with $396,974, bringing the combined total to approximately $821,545. Price also noted the program seeks to help farmers maintain profitability and protect open space after land losses in the region attributed to Hurricane Helene.

The funding will be used in coordination with the taskforce’s work on easements and other tools to address rapid land-value increases and development pressure in the county. Price’s remarks were delivered as part of the Local Government Committee for Cooperative Action meeting on April 21, 2026.

Next steps described in the meeting included continued taskforce work to identify priority parcels for conservation and to coordinate grant administration with county staff. Specific parcels, timelines for acquisitions and program implementation details were not specified at the meeting.