FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FRIDAY, OCT. 10, 2008
| CONTACT: |
Dewitt Hardee, manager
NCDA&CS Environmental Programs
(919) 733-7125, ext. 256
|
Troxler announces availability of farmland preservation
grants;
application deadline is Dec. 5
RALEIGH – County governments and nonprofit groups pursuing farmland preservation projects can apply for funding assistance from the N.C. Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund beginning Oct. 13, Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler announced.
Applications and guidelines for the 2009 funding cycle will be available online at www.ncadfp.org or by calling (919) 733-7125. Applications are due Dec. 5.
“Communities across the state have shown a ton of interest in preserving working farms and farmland,” Troxler said. “With $4 million appropriated by the General Assembly for the 2008-09 fiscal year, the trust fund is looking forward to helping them reach their goals.”
The trust fund staff has organized a series of free informational workshops for landowners, county governments and nonprofit groups interested in applying for grants. To RSVP, contact Leslie Pekrul at (919) 715-1206, ext. 12, or leslie.dixon@ncagr.gov at least four days before the workshop. The schedule is as follows:
- Oct. 27, 1-4 p.m., Carolina Farm Credit, 146 Victory Lane, Statesville;
- Oct. 28, 9 a.m.-noon, Haywood County Extension office, 589 Raccoon Road, Waynesville;
- Nov. 12, 1-4 p.m., Cumberland County Ag Center, 301 E. Mountain Drive, Fayetteville;
- Nov. 13, 8-11 a.m., James Sprunt Community College, 133 James Sprunt Drive, Kenansville;
- Nov. 19, 1-4 p.m., Wilson Ag Center, 1806 S.W. Goldsboro St., Wilson;
- Nov. 20, 9 a.m.-noon, Sen. Bob Martin Eastern Agricultural Center, 2900 N.C. Highway 125 South, Williamston.
The trust fund’s purpose is to support projects that encourage the preservation of qualifying agricultural, horticultural and forest lands to foster the growth, development and sustainability of family farms. Grants can be awarded to secure agricultural conservation easements on lands used for production of food, fiber and other agricultural products, and to support public and private enterprise programs that will promote profitable and sustainable agricultural, horticultural, and forestland activities.
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