New state grants should protect more than 600 acres of Wake County farmland for good, adding to 407 acres saved since 2024. 26 more projects are in the works.
Wake County has won about $10 million in state money to keep working farms as farms. The county expects the grants to protect more than 600 acres of farmland permanently.
The money goes to the Wake Soil and Water Conservation District. The county announced it in a news release on Oct. 9.
The district received:
- $7.9 million for 12 farmland projects
- a $2 million Local Agricultural Growth Zone award
The grants come from the N.C. Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund. The state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services awarded $51.2 million across 44 counties this round.
“This is an important investment in the future of Wake County,” Safiyah Jackson, vice chair of the Wake County Board of Commissioners, said in the county’s release.
What the county has saved so far
Since the start of 2024, the county’s Farmland Preservation program has protected 407 acres on seven farms for good, the release said. The county put in $4.1 million. With landowners and state and federal money, that protected land with a conservation value of about $20 million.
The district has 26 more projects in progress. The county said they would protect more than 1,200 more acres in the coming years.
The release did not name the farms or say where in the county they are.
Why it matters in a fast-growing county
Farming is still a big business in Wake County. The county’s figures put agriculture and agribusiness at:
- $9.8 billion in value-added economic activity
- 109,502 jobs
- $4.8 billion in wages
- about 8.2% of the county’s $120 billion economy
Land is also in demand. The county’s median real estate price was $450,000 in September, according to its monthly real estate report. Our Raleigh home prices page tracks the trend.
What it means for you
- If you own farmland in Wake County and want to keep it in farming, the Farmland Preservation program explains how the county works with landowners.
- The Wake Soil and Water Conservation District is the office to contact.
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