The Lee County Board of Commissioners made a landmark investment in the future of agriculture and working lands across the county at their March 3rd, 2025 meeting, voting to adopt a new conservation easement policy establishing an “Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Fund” as well as updating the county’s existing “Farmland Preservation Ordinance.”
The board voted after hearing from several agricultural stakeholders during public comments including a presentation from Dr. Bill Stone with the N.C. Cooperative Extension-Lee County Center. Stone, who also coordinates the Lee County Agriculture Advisory Board, expressed his gratitude after the vote, “Tonight was a significant win for the future of agriculture and working lands across Lee County. Through their support, the Board of Commissioners have demonstrated a meaningful commitment to the future of farms of all sizes, along with the farmers and farm families that operate them, and I am extremely appreciative of the strong investment they have made in local agriculture.”
The new conservation easement policy establishes an initial fund of $340,610 using “roll back” taxes from land coming out of Present Use Value (PUV) over the last two years. These “roll back,” or deferred, taxes are generated when land is taken out of agricultural use and the PUV program, most commonly when it is sold for development. The newly established fund will reinvest the deferred taxes back into farmland preservation to be used toward costs associated with conservation easement projects. Conservation easements offer landowners a voluntary way to protect their land in perpetuity, and in many cases, allow landowners a viable financial alternative to selling the land for development. Landowners retain private ownership of the land, with the legal understanding that the land will forever remain in agricultural use.
Reuhl Dabolt, president of the Lee County Farm Bureau, acknowledged the significant investment made by the board after the meeting stating, “The Lee County Commissioners demonstrating their support for farmland preservation efforts in Lee County is a wise and bold move that will keep farming in the county thriving for generations.”
This important policy move comes at a time when Triangle Land Conservancy (TLC) is working to expand its farmland conservation impact in Lee County. Much of TLC’s work here has previously focused on protecting land along the Cape Fear and Deep Rivers, as well as helping to conserve the historic Endor Iron Furnace. This increase in county support will provide TLC and farmers with more resources to protect Lee County’s rural character and farms, at a time when the county is projected to lose up to 30% of its farmland to development pressures by 2040.
“This is a proactive investment by the Board of Commissioners at a critical time when farmland loss is being felt across the county, region, and the state,” said Sandy Sweitzer, Executive Director of Triangle Land Conservancy. “TLC is looking forward to working with willing landowners who are interested in protecting their farms forever.”
In light of the recent report by American Farmland Trust on farmland loss across the United States, which places North Carolina second in the country for projected loss, many counties have increased their farmland preservation efforts. TLC has had great success in partnering with counties in our region to ensure the rapid growth of the Triangle is balanced with protecting working lands. County funding has enabled TLC to protect over 1,000 acres of farmland in Wake and Johnston Counties since 2023, with more projects in the pipeline. Lee County’s commitment will create opportunities to expand this work across TLC’s region.
Jimmy Randolph, CEO of the Sanford Area Growth Alliance and TLC board member, also commended the Commissioners for their leadership: “The adoption of this policy and creation of an Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Fund will be a valuable tool in the County’s land use toolkit in cases where private landowners wish to preserve their farmland and voluntarily pursue a conservation easement. It will empower farmers to resist rising development pressures, while advancing the public’s goal of maintaining the open spaces which have always been such an essential and attractive element of life in Lee County.”
The board also voted to approve revisions to the existing farmland preservation ordinance, a document that was last updated in 2013. Along with maintaining their commitment to the Voluntary Agricultural District (VAD) program, the board added the option for landowners to participate in the Enhanced Voluntary Agricultural District (EVAD), a program that requires a ten-year irrevocable commitment from the landowner to agree to keep the land in agricultural use. The new ordinance also allows farms that are smaller than five acres the opportunity to qualify for the benefits of both the VAD and the EVAD program, recognizing the changing dynamics of local agriculture and an emergence of more small farms in the county.
