North Carolina will have roughly $54 million to spend on farmland preservation in the coming year, a figure that matches nearly half of what the state has committed to the effort over the past two decades. The funding, secured through the newly enacted state budget, comes largely from a one-time appropriation, according to Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler.
Troxler said the legislature provided almost $47 million in one-time money for the program, along with $2 million in recurring funds. He identified the disappearance of farmland as the central concern for the future of agriculture in the state.
“I’ve been saying for years, one of the biggest problems for the future of ag in North Carolina is the disappearance of farmland,” Troxler said. He noted that the appropriation follows several years of limited spending capacity.
The scale of the commitment stands out against the program’s history. Troxler said he has worked on farmland preservation for about 21 years, during which the state has spent roughly $108 million total. “Now we’re going to spend half of this in this coming year,” he said, calling the allocation “a big win for the ag community.”
Despite the funding increase, Troxler said the state is not preserving farmland fast enough to offset what it is losing. He pointed to North Carolina’s ranking as second in the nation for the probability of farmland loss between now and 2040.
Growth pressures, including data center construction and housing development, are driving the trend across the state, Troxler said. He described conditions along the Interstate 85 and Interstate 40 corridor as evidence of the pace of conversion.
Recounting a recent drive between Greensboro and Raleigh, Troxler said he counted only two agricultural fields visible from Interstate 40, and one of those was “iffy.” He said every county, including rural ones, is losing land to development.
“So we can’t do it fast enough, and we’ve got to pick the pace up,” Troxler said.