ADFP - Information for Applicants

Aerial view of two farm machines harvesting grain

Cycle 18 Conservation Easements Application Portal

After discussions and planning sessions with a landowner, are you ready to apply for a conservation easement on their behalf? The link below will take you to the current online application form. Need some assistance? Review the relevant application guidelines and documents in the tabs underneath, and reach out to our staff with additional questions.

Cycle 18 is now open

Cycle 18 Agricultural Development Projects Application Portal

Agricultural Development Projects grants fund the growth and innovations that help make agriculture the state's number one economic driver. Submit your proposal to make things grow at the link below.

Start your Project with Cycle 18

A small gate crosses the entrance to the farm

Cycle 18 Agricultural Plans Application Portal

Planning is essential. Whether it's a Farmland Protection Plan, a Cost of Community Services Study, or Voluntary Agricultural District-related programming, our Agricultural Plans grants fund the visionary thinking needed to maintain and enhance agriculture in all 100 North Carolina counties.

Submit Your Plans

Cycle 18 Additional Conservation Easement Purchase Funds Application Portal

For easement projects that are still under open contract and with a current budget request of less than 50 percent of the easement value from the ADFP Trust Fund, applying for additional funds is an option to offset the loss of partner funding or to compensate for higher appraisal values.

Apply for Additional Funds

Cycle 18 Local Agricultural Growth Zones Application Portal

Agricultural Growth Zone grants are designed to give land conservancies and local governments the ability to target areas of rapid development with the goal of limiting urban sprawl by funding easements on farms and forest lands, either in connected blocks or within close proximity of each other.

State Dollars, Local Control - Apply for an AGZ Here

Notes For Applicants

Cycle 18 General Information

The application window for Cycle 18 opens on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, at 8 AM. In light of the devastation caused by Helene, the deadline for applications has been extended by an extra month to Friday, Jan. 17, 2025, at 5 PM.

Please note: All applicants for conservation easements, agricultural development projects, and agricultural plans must be non-profit conservation organizations or county agencies, per N.C.G.S.106-744. Farmers, landowners, and others interested in applying must partner with a non-profit conservation organization or county agency to participate in an ADFP Trust Fund grant proposal.

No Beehive Grant Fund applications will be accepted this year. For apiary-related questions, contact the Apiary Services section of the Plant Industry Division.

Formstack notes

As you are navigating the new application system, here are a few tips that may be helpful:
•    Saving Your Progress is Essential
It’s important to save your progress as you go. Simply click the “Save” button at the bottom of any page and enter an email address where you’d like to receive a link to the saved form. You can send this link to multiple email addresses—just separate them with commas. We recommend sending the save link to more than one address for easy access. Once saved, a pop-up confirmation will appear, and a save link will be emailed to all addresses provided.
•    DO NOT CLOSE THE APPLICATION UNTIL YOU VERIFY A SAVED EMAIL HAS BEEN RECEIVED FOR THE APPLICATION
EACH application has its OWN save link. Check your spam or other folders and confirm with other recipients if they received the link. If no one received it, check with your IT team to ensure it wasn’t caught by spam filters. If you’ve tried these steps and still have issues, please reach out to us directly. Once a submission is complete, all save links become invalid and they cannot be edited. Staff do not have access to saved applications and therefore cannot assist with lost save links. Here’s a video on how to utilize the save feature.
•    System Load Time
When looking up information, such as organization or contact names, please be patient as the system may take a few moments to load.
•    Submission Copy
After submission, the Primary Contact’s email address will receive a PDF copy of the application. If the Primary Contact does not receive the PDF, please reach out to us.
•    Submission Lock
Please make sure your application is 100% complete before submitting. After submission, any edits or additional uploads will be considered on a case-by-case basis and must be requested via email.

If you receive a failure notification upon application submission, or if you have other questions about eligibility and the application process, please contact Kelsey Pearce at 919-707-3074 or kelsey.pearce@ncagr.gov.