Agricultural Development & Farmland Preservation Trust Fund (ADFP)

NCDA&CS trust fund (est. 2006) that funds permanent agricultural conservation easements, agricultural development projects, agricultural plans, and local agricultural growth zones to keep North Carolina working farm, forest, and horticultural land in production. Cycle 20 is currently underway.

Per N.C.G.S. 106-744, applicants for conservation easements, agricultural development projects, and agricultural plans must be non-profit conservation organizations or county agencies. Farmers and landowners cannot apply directly — they must partner with a qualifying non-profit conservation organization or county agency. (No Beehive Grant Fund applications this cycle.)

From the ADFP Trust Fund "Policies and Guidelines (As of June 23, 2026)." Caps differ by application type, and the flagship easement track has none:

• "There is no maximum grant request for agricultural conservation easement applications."

• "The maximum grant request per agricultural development project application is capped at $500,000."

• "The maximum grant request per local agricultural growth zone application is capped at $2,000,000."

• "The maximum grant request per additional conservation easement funds application is capped at 50 percent of the easement purchase value."

• "The maximum grant request per Voluntary Agricultural District application is capped at $8,500."

• "The maximum grant request per Farmland Protection Plan or Cost of Community Services Study application is capped at $17,000."

Easement pricing: "ADFPTF grant funds for the purchase of the conservation easement are limited to 50% or less of the appraised value." Term (non-permanent) easements "will be paid on a percentage of the easement value" — 50-year easement: 60% of easement value; 40-year easement: 40%; 30-year easement: 30%.

Match is required in every category. Permanent-easement matches "can be in-kind, cash, donated easement value, or money from other programs of like kind to the ADFP Trust Fund," and "[p]rograms used for matching must restrict the development rights and have restrictive language attached to the deed" (a USDA Farm & Ranch Protection Program match qualifies; a USDA Conservation Reserve Program match does not). Agricultural development projects "can use in-kind services, cash, land donation, labor hours, and equipment costs as matches but the burden of proof lies on the applicant." "Match may not be from a like kind appropriation source as the ADFP Trust Fund grant funding." "ADFP Trust Fund grants can not be used for indirect costs," and "ADFP Trust Fund monies may not be used to pay for appraisals" — though "an appraisal expense can be used as a matching grant resource."

Monitoring and stewardship money is capped: "Funding is limited to 3% of the appraised easement value being purchased by the ADFP Trust Fund and must be equally matched or up to 1.5% of the appraised easement value of a donated conservation easement without match requirement."

Payment: "Grant contract budgeting and payments shall hold back 10% on all line items until ADFPTF receives all required reports and documentation." Grantees may petition the Commissioner to lower the hold-back, but "[i]f an infraction or late report occurs during the contract period of the grant, the hold back percentage shall be reinstated at 10% or higher."

Contract length: contracts without associated USDA-NRCS funding are "issued under an initial two-year term, a maximum of two extension requests for one year each may be granted, bringing the maximum term to four years"; contracts with NRCS funding start at three years with one one-year extension, also to four years.

One further limit on volume: if total requests exceed the cycle allocation, "the ADFP Trust Fund will fund a maximum of four (4) applications per category (perpetual easements, term easements, agricultural development projects, agricultural plans, additional funds, Agricultural Growth Zones) per applicant." Easements must protect land with an impervious surface limit of "two (2) percent of the total acreage."

Cycle 20 uses a multi-part online application via ncagr.gov/divisions/farmland-preservation/applicants. Key dates: Part 1 Aug 3–31, 2026; Part 2 opens Sept 14, 2026; Conservation Easement Part 2 closes Oct 19 and Part 3 Nov 2–Dec 21, 2026; all other application types' Part 2 closes Dec 21, 2026. Partial/late submissions are ineligible.