With all of the changes in land ownership occurring across the state there are many impacts to people who own farm and forest land or who may purchase or inherit undeveloped property. The County Land Summit Workshop Series is a three-part series to educate landowning and farming constituents on matters that affect their land use. It is intended to help both existing and potential land owners become more familiar with the legal, business, and regulatory concerns that go hand in hand with owning a farm and forestland. This material was piloted in 2019 and updated in 2020. The three workshops focus on (1) County Land Regulations; (2) Protecting Your Farm and Forestland; and (3) the Business of Agriculture.
A County Land Summit Planning Guide as well as resource sheets for each workshop were developed and are shared on the Local Food Portal as a resource for agents on how to plan and host a county land summit series.
This program is supported in part by The North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission (TTFC) (Grant award 2019-001-16).
The first workshop highlights county-specific resources, including moderated presentations by county planning staff on planning efforts and local ag and environmental policies, regulations, and ordinances as well as a discussion of easements, rights of way, and eminent domain by representatives from local utility companies.
Workshop 2 focuses on landowner opportunities and rights and should include a moderated panel of experts who will speak about present use value taxation, voluntary ag districts, forest management practices, and conservation easements.
Workshop 3 looks at the human capital of the business of agriculture by examining different legal structures, leasing arrangements, employment and labor law issues, other custom topics of interest, and FarmLink technology, connecting landowners with prospective farmers.
