Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund

Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund is sponsored by NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Supports the preservation of farming, forestry, and horticulture industries in North Carolina through conservation easements and development projects.

Funding Database: Agricultural and Farmland Preservation | NC Resilience Exchange Funding Database: Agricultural and Farmland Preservation Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund The NC Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund (ADFP) provides funding for preservation of farming, forestry and horticulture industries in North Carolina.

ADFP promotes sustainable farming through the purchase of agricultural conservation easements, conservation agreements and the funding of public and private enterprise programs that assist farmers in developing plans to maintain sustainable and profitable food production and marketing activities. The program is administered by the NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NC DA&CS) Division of Farmland Preservation.

Eligible applicants include county agencies and nonprofit conservation organizations. Farmers and other landowners must partner with an eligible applicant to apply. Eligible projects include a conservation easement, agricultural development project or agricultural plan, including the creation of a Local Agricultural Growth Zone.

Agricultural plan grants are limited to the development and adoption of a Voluntary Agricultural District, Enhanced Voluntary Agricultural District, countywide Farmland Protection Plan or Cost of Community Services Study. Agricultural development project grants are restricted to public or public-private enterprise programs.

ADFP posts specific project eligibility requirements for the current grant cycle under the Notes for Applicants section of the program website. Funding varies depending on the type of activities included in the budget. There is no maximum cap on funding requested for conservation easement applications.

The maximum grant for an agricultural development project is $500,000. The cap per Local Agricultural Growth Zone application is $2 million. The maximum grant request per Voluntary Agricultural District application is $8,500.

The maximum grant request per Farmland Protection Plan or Cost of Community Services Study application is $17,000. Match requirements are based on the County Development Tier designations, the applying organization and the presence of an approved Farmland Protection Plan. Tier One enterprise counties with an approved plan are not required to acquire matching funds.

The ADFP relies on funding from the NC General Assembly, so the program does not offer funding each year. Funding traditionally opens in the early fall and closes in early December. Sole-funded general appropriation grants expire on Sept.

30, approximately two years after the award date. General appropriation grants with US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Natural Resources Conservation Services partner funding expire after three years. ADFP publishes application materials and instructions on the Information for Applicants webpage with specific guidelines for the current application cycle.

Contact Corey Hoilman for assistance with the application process and related questions. Field staff are available from seven North Carolina regions to answer questions and conduct in-person evaluations if eligible. ADFP staff host in-person workshops on conservation easements for applicants and interested landowners.

ADFP posts important dates on the Information for Applicants webpage. The NC DA&CS Division of Farmland Preservation provides this funding through appropriations from the NC General Assembly.

Key Info Funder NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Program Link Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund Opportunity Type Funding > Grant; Funding > Property Acquisition Opens August/September Closes December* Award Varies Match Required?

Yes This Page was Last Updated September 2026 (*) - Estimated date Program Contact Corey Hoilman NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, ADFP Trust Fund Office Completed Project Example In 2023, the Fund granted over $15 million to protect working farms and forests through agricultural land conservation easements covering 5,000 acres and agricultural plans and projects across the state.

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