farmland preservation

Evan Davis to lead Farmland Preservation division

For the first time in over a decade, there is a new face at the head of Farmland Preservation. Evan Davis, Farmland Preservation division director, took over leadership of the division at the start of 2022 after previously serving as assistant director since 2018. Born in Davidson County, Davis grew up near High Point, taking […]

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Passion for land leads Sabrina Shaffer to NCDA&CS

Sabrina Shaffer brings a personal perspective to her work in the NCDA&CS Farmland Preservation division. Shaffer, who joined the division as a Farmland Preservation Specialist in December 2020, is responsible for helping review the many documents needed for farms to enter under conservation easements. Those easements are critical to the division’s mission, as they limit […]

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Local governments face unique challenges in fighting farmland loss

Local governments face unique challenges in fighting farmland loss

Across North Carolina, farmland loss has accelerated at an unprecedented rate over the last 20 years. Between 2001 and 2016, around 6.7 percent of North Carolina’s total farmland was converted into residential and commercial land. That is the second highest percentage in the country during that time, and it accounts for over 730,000 acres of […]

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Farmland under threat part 1: What is the issue?

  As residential and commercial development spread, farmland across America is disappearing at an unprecedented rate. According to a new American Farmland Trust report, “Farms Under Threat: The State of the States,” 11 million acres of farmland was either fragmented or completely lost between 2001 and 2016, with 4.4 million acres being among the best […]

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Today’s Topic: Latest farmland preservation efforts preserve more than 800 acres; first joint partnership between Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund and the U.S. Air Force.

Today’s Topic: Latest farmland preservation efforts preserve more than 800 acres; first joint partnership between Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund and the U.S. Air Force.

Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler sits down each week with Southern Farm Network’s Mike Davis to discuss “Today’s Topic.” The department’s Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund recently signed the first two conservation easements under a joint partnership with the U.S. Air Force. The project protects more than 800 acres from two farms in Northeastern […]

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Today’s Topic: Farmland preservation trust fund awards grants totaling more than $3.2 million

Today’s Topic: Farmland preservation trust fund awards grants totaling more than $3.2 million

Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler sits down each week with Southern Farm Network’s Rhonda Garrison to discuss “Today’s Topic.” The N.C. Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund recently awarded almost $3.3 million to help North Carolina communities protect farmland and promote agricultural enterprises. Of that total, more than $2.8 million went toward obtaining conservation easements […]

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