FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MONDAY, OCT. 8, 2007

Farmland preservation workshops scheduled

Series of meetings across North Carolina begins Oct. 31

RALEIGH – The N.C. Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund will offer a series of educational workshops on farmland preservation beginning Oct. 31.

The free workshops are aimed at non-profit conservation organizations, county governments, landowners, farmers and others interested in preserving farmland in North Carolina.

Sessions will cover a variety of topics: agricultural districts, farmland protection plans, state and federal forest and farmland preservation programs and funding sources, conservation easements and agricultural agreements, farm transition, agricultural development programs and the ADFP Trust Fund application process.

The series begins Oct. 31 with a regional workshop at the Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center in Haywood County. Other regional workshops will take place Nov. 7 at Mount Olive College in Mount Olive, Nov. 19 at the Cabarrus Arena and Event Center in Concord and Nov. 29 at Halifax Community College in Weldon. All regional workshops will take place from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., except for the Mount Olive event, which will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

In addition, local workshops will take place from 9 a.m. to noon on the following dates:

• Nov. 1, Edwin H. McGee Center in North Wilkesboro;
• Nov. 2, Polk County Convention Center in Columbus;
• Nov. 6, Cumberland County Cooperative Extension Office in Fayetteville;
• Nov. 20, Alamance County Cooperative Extension Office in Burlington;
• Nov. 30, Pasquotank County Cooperative Extension Center in Elizabeth City.

Pre-registration is required. Registration deadlines are as follows: Oct. 24 for the Lake Junaluska, Wilkesboro, and Columbus workshops; Oct. 30 for Fayetteville and Mount Olive; Nov. 8 for Concord and Burlington; and Nov. 20 for Weldon and Elizabeth City. To register, contact Lindsay Ballance with the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services at (919) 733-7125, ext. 251, or lindsay.ballance@ncagr.gov. For more information or to download a brochure and registration form, log on to www.ncadfp.org.