(SMITHFIELD N.C.) – On July 15, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) closed its 100th conservation easement, in partnership with the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS).  The conservation easement was signed by the Majorie D. Langston Revocable Living Trust. After working with many different agencies, the Langston family was proud to have finalized the easement and captured the seriousness of how the agencies are addressing the unprecedented land loss. 

“No one has given me any indication that farmland preservation is a wasted effort, or not an admirable, worthy government initiative,” said Kenneth Langston, Trustee of the Majorie D. Langston Revocable Living Trust.

The easement was under NRCS’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). In the project, the NCDA&CS was awarded $6.3 million by the NRCS to place conservation easements on farms in the Upper Neuse River Basin.

The Langston easement was finalized as an Entity-Held Conservation Easement. This type of easement is eligible for any land use. It is driven by conservation benefits and resource concerns identified in the RCPP project. The easement can be used to protect working agricultural lands as well as other eligible land, including forest land, wetlands, and riparian areas.

The two agencies first partnered to conserve a 76-acre farm in Durham County in 2009. Since then, 16,554 acres in 32 counties have been conserved in partnership with NCDA&CS and NRCS. Those figures include this 100th easement, which will be recorded on a property in Johnston County.

“NRCS and its partners like NCDA&CS have made tremendous strides in addressing the historic loss of prime farmland through conservation easements like the ones signed by the Majorie D. Langston Revocable Living Trust,” said Brian Loadholdt, Assistant State Conservationist for Easements.

Farmland preservation remains a primary objective for NRCS. Agricultural land easements not only safeguard productive land, but also offer public benefits such as enhanced environmental quality, historic conservation, wildlife habitat, and the protection of open spaces. Since its establishment, including legacy initiatives like the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program and Grassland Reserve Program, NRCS has secured over 2.2 million acres through easements, with approximately 440,000 acres protected under the current Agricultural Land Easements (ALE) framework. 

A study from the American Farmland Trust predicts that by 2040 North Carolina may lose around 20% of its 8 million acres of farmland due to ongoing development. This loss places North Carolina second only to Texas in terms of farmland disappearing to development. Even more concerning, North Carolina ranks number one nationwide for farmland lost specifically to low-density residential expansion.

The closing of the easement is especially significant to Johnston County. According to the same study conducted by the American Farmland Trust, Johnston County is the top county for farmland loss in North Carolina, and out of approximately 3,100 counties, it ranked 19th in the entire nation.

“It’s really special for us,” said Greg Walker, Johnston County Soil and Water Conservation District Director, when discussing the project.

Aside from RCPP conservation easements, NRCS has an additional tool under the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), notably the Agricultural Land Easement (ALE) Program. 

How Does ALE Work

NRCS provides financial assistance to eligible partners for purchasing Agricultural Land Easements that protect the agricultural use and conservation values of eligible land.

For farms, the program helps farmers and ranchers keep their land in agriculture. Under the Agricultural Land Easement component, NRCS may contribute up to 50 percent of the fair market value of the agricultural land easement.

Agricultural Land Easements are permanent or for the maximum term allowed by law.

What Land is Eligible?

Land eligible for agricultural easements includes private or Tribal land that is agricultural land, cropland, rangeland, grassland, pastureland and nonindustrial private forest land. NRCS will prioritize applications that protect agricultural uses and related conservation values of the land and those that maximize the protection of contiguous acres devoted to agricultural use, including land on a farm or ranch.

Eligible Land Types must also meet one of the four following land eligibility criteria:

• Parcels enrolled to protect Prime, Unique, or Other productive soil.
• Parcels enrolled to provide protection of grazing uses and related conservation values.
• Parcels containing historical or archeological resources.
• Land that furthers a state or local policy consistent with the purposes of ALE.

NRCS and its partners are taking additional steps to secure the state’s precious farmland. Recently, NRCS announced a second ALE signup for agricultural producers and landowners to apply for fiscal year 2026 assistance. North Carolina received 38 applications for more than $28 million. Of the applications received, NC was preselected to fund 16 applications for more than $16 million.

For more than 90 years, NRCS has helped farmers, ranchers, and forestland owners make investments in their operations and local communities to improve the quality of our air, water, soil, and wildlife habitat. NRCS uses the latest science and technology to help keep working lands working, boost agricultural economies, and increase the competitiveness of American agriculture. NRCS provides one-on-one technical advice and financial assistance and works with producers to help them reach their goals through voluntary, incentive-based conservation programs. For more information, visit nrcs.usda.gov.   

###