State Funding for Conservation Projects in Polk County (aka "Green Book" data)

Example Projects in Polk County

Agricultural Development And Farmland Preservation Trust Fund

North Carolina has lost more farms than any other state, tying for first place with Florida and Tenneessee. We now surpass New Jersey as the 10th most populous state.  In the face of this rapid change, farmers across North Carolina are desperately seeking ways to save their farms.  The tremendous interest in farmland preservation was demonstrated in 2006 when the NC Agricultural Development and Farmland Trust Fund put out a call for applications for small grants from its $50,000 state appropriation, the first funding the Trust Fund had received since 2003.  The Trust Fund received 23 grant applications requesting a total of $576,000 from across the state, which would have leveraged more than $9 million in projects.  Given the limited dollars available, only five grants could be made, but those grants leveraged another $3.4 million in project value through donated easements and other matching funds.

Funding in Polk County includes a conservation easement to protect a 400-acre cattle farm in Polk County. The farmers are donating the value of the easement, and the grants will pay associated costs such as surveys, title search, and funding to ensure future monitoring of the easement.

This trust fund’s work with limited dollars demonstrates the value of the State’s investment in our farms and forests. It is inspiring to imagine what the fund will do when it is adequately financed.