As 2024 comes to a close, we celebrate a record year for the Farm to School program thanks to a Local Food for School grant from USDA that benefited small N.C. farms and businesses and for reaching 36,000 acres of farmland preserved through the Farmland Preservation Trust Fund, plus other milestones. Work in these areas will continue in 2025.

• Looking back over 2024, we had several milestones that I thought were worth mentioning as the year comes to a close.

• Our Food Distribution Division was having a busy year before they jumped in to help move emergency food supplies to Western N.C. following Hurricane Helene.

• This has been a record year for the Farm to School program with school systems statewide ordering over $3.6 million worth of food products from local farmers.
  
  
•  That was able to happen because of a USDA Local Food for Schools grant that gave schools the opportunity and funding to order local foods from local farms and agribusinesses.
  
  
• Of the 141 qualifying school districts, 108 participated in the LFS funding, with 50% of schools spending those grant funds with our Farm to School program and the other 50% spending it directly with farms and local businesses.
   
• I was happy to see the USDA grant used in this fashion and I hope we see more of these efforts going forward.
   
• The best part is schools spend their funds on local foods and those resources pour back into the community.

• A total of 24 farms and small businesses participated in this effort, which provided a great financial boost.

• Every year, we work to develop new markets for farmers whether that is locally, domestically or internationally. The Farm to School program continues to be a success for North Carolina farmers.

• Another program I wanted to mention is Farmland Preservation. This year, we reached the milestone of preserving 36,000 acres since the program’s beginning.

• We also awarded our first Agricultural Growth Zone grants to Buncombe, Chatham, Lee, Orange and Wake counties, which I am proud of.

• In our ongoing efforts to protect farmland, we awarded $18.2 million to protect working farms and forests and support county farmland preservation efforts.

• I would note that we received 124 grant applications totaling $47 million in grant funding requests. So, that just tells me that the interest in preserving farmland is there for landowners.

• I was also pleased to award the second annual Friends of Farmland Award to Wake County, Wake Soil and Water Conservation, and the Wake County Agricultural Advisory Board. Wake County has been making significant efforts to protect its farmland and that is exciting to see.  

• I mention these two divisions because as we look forward to 2025, I know we will be continuing to focus on farmland preservation and developing new markets for our farmers and agribusiness owners.

• Disaster assistance and recovery will also be a main focus in 2025, so I hope to take a short break over the holidays and then jump right in again working to support farmers, agribusinesses and consumers.

• I know it will be a busy year. I hope everyone has a Happy New Year! See you in 2025!