SALISBURY — Three Rivers Land Trust has been awarded almost $1.6 million from the N.C. Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund (NCADFP) for local farmland conservation.

This funding will benefit current farmland conservation projects in Davie, Iredell and Robeson counties. Three Rivers Land Trust places an importance on farmland conservation and this funding from N.C. Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust will aid in completing four more farmland conservation projects totaling 1,589 acres.

With the constant threat from development, Three Rivers Land Trust launched the “Save the Farm” campaign in 2021 to generate funding for local farmland conservation projects. The American Farmland Trust projects from 2016 to 2040, NC could lose over 1.1 million acres of farmland if more is not done to reduce sprawl. With staggering projections such as this, Three Rivers Land Trust is acting with a renewed effort to conserve North Carolina’s largest industry, agriculture.

“Farmland conservation has always been a priority of Three Rivers Land Trust,” states TRLT Executive Director Travis Morehead. “With recent studies showing just how much of an impact that farmland loss can create, we knew we had to do more, which is why we introduced the “Save the Farm” campaign in 2021. We hope that with funding from organizations like the N.C. Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust that we can continue to make a difference in the lives of local farmers. Whether we realize it or not, we are all connected to the farms that provide so much for our daily lives.”

If you would like to help Save the Farm, consider donating to Three Rivers Land Trust to help them carry out their mission to protect and conserve land, natural areas, rural landscapes, family farms, and historic places within North Carolina’s central Piedmont and Sandhills. Learn more about local conservation and what you can do to help by visiting trlt.org.

To learn more about how to conserve your own lands or how you can support Three Rivers Land Trust in their conservation mission, contact Emily Callicutt, Land Protection Specialist at Three Rivers Land Trust by calling 704-647-0302 or by email at emily@trlt.org.