Keeping the Roots Strong: Lee County Embraces Farmland Preservation With VAD and EVAD Programs
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Collapse ▲Here in Lee County, landowners have the option of participating in a couple programs that can protect their farm, forest and pastureland. As development pressure increases, the Voluntary Agricultural District (VAD) and the even more protective Enhanced Voluntary Agricultural District (EVAD) programs offer landowners and farmers the genuine option of keeping their land in agriculture for the long term.
The VAD and EVAD programs are both voluntary agreements that encourage landowners to commit to agricultural use for an extended period, typically ten years. In return, they receive benefits designed to stabilize the financial and operational health of their farms.
Both agricultural district options offer increased protection from nuisance lawsuits. By creating officially recognized districts, the county helps ensure that new non-farm residents nearby are aware they are moving next to a bona fide agricultural operation—one that may involve noise, dust, and odors inherent to farming.
Enrollment also ensures that the farming community has an enhanced voice in decisions that could affect their land. No governmental agency can formally initiate condemnation proceedings against participating farmland without a required public hearing, ensuring full consideration of the impact on agriculture.
For landowners ready to make a greater, legally binding commitment, the Enhanced Voluntary Agricultural District (EVAD) provides additional incentives. EVAD participants become eligible to receive a higher percentage of cost-share funds under the state’s agriculture cost-share programs. This makes essential conservation practices, like erosion control and water quality improvements, significantly more affordable. The EVAD status also allows a farmer to count up to 25 percent of gross sales from certain non-farm products (like agritourism activities or farm-made value-added products) toward the gross income requirement for a “bona fide farm.” This diversification is key to the economic survival of many small and mid-sized operations.
Beyond the direct benefits to individual farmers, the VAD and EVAD programs serve vital roles for Lee County as a whole. The agricultural district programs recognize the continued and important presence of agriculture in the county. Roadside signs placed by participating farms publicly identify the land as part of an Agricultural District, serving as a powerful visual reminder to all citizens and visitors that farming is an active, respected, and valued part of the local community. In addition to supporting the economy—where agriculture and agribusiness provide a significant percentage of county employment—the programs help conserve Lee County’s beautiful open space, rural character, and natural resources as the population expands. By formally establishing these districts, Lee County is taking a proactive step to elevate the identity and pride in its agricultural community, forging a shared understanding of the vital relationship between the land, the farmer, and the local food supply.
For Lee County, the VAD and EVAD programs are not just regulations; they are a public affirmation that farming is critical to the future, giving landowners the power and the tools to keep their roots firmly planted.
For more information about VAD and EVAD, or how to get your land enrolled in the program, please give us a call at 919-775-5624. Stay tuned for next month’s article, which will focus on another conservation option that ensures your land remains in agricultural use permanently.
Bill Stone is the County Extension Director for North Carolina Cooperative Extension in Lee County.