Soil & Water update: Haywood preserves farmland but warns state funding is constrained

Dwayne Van Hook, director of the Haywood County Soil & Water office, briefed the commissioners on the county’s farmland preservation work, noting one active application this funding year and eight easements in process under the state program representing roughly 440 acres and about $1.5 million in funding contracted or under contract.

Van Hook said the district itself holds about 1,500 acres and the county has roughly 2,780 acres in easements overall. He and district Chairman Bill Yarborough said the statewide Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation (ADFP) program is competitive and underfunded: officials said the statewide request was about $46 million but the program was funded at roughly $5 million, leaving many projects unfunded.

Yarborough urged commissioners to explore private matching funds and the state’s agricultural growth zone opportunity, which he said could match up to $1 million (creating up to $2 million over a three‑year match period) to make local easement applications more competitive. Commissioners said they have discussed the issue with state legislators and that Representative Jimmy Dixon and other contacts had been receptive to requests for additional funding.

Commissioners and staff framed farmland preservation as a priority to protect agricultural land in floodplains and maintain future farming options; no funding decisions were made at the meeting. Yarborough thanked the county for its long involvement and said the county program remains among the most active in the state.