News

Farmland preservation bond issue sprints toward Nov. 3 ballot

Under the farmland preservation program, landowners would sell development rights for a payment based on the difference between fair-market value and agriculture-use value — often thousands of dollars per acre. [HENDERSON COUNTY FARMLAND PRESERVATION]

By BILL MOSS and KEVYN CARTER-LONG, Published: July 29, 2026

Henderson County voters would open a path for landowners to permanently protect farms from development if they approve a bond issue headed for the Nov. 3 ballot.

County commissioners on Monday took the second of three steps to put the $25 million borrowing proposal up for voter approval. After a public hearing and blessing of the N.C. Local Government Commission, the question would be ready to go on the general election ballot.

Commissioners heard a detailed explanation of the various farm protection programs currently offered by the state and county, including Voluntary Agriculture Districts, which cover 11,380 acres in the county, and property tax reductions for land in agriculture. The farmland easements pay farmers the difference between fair market value and the farm-use value — often thousands of dollars per acre.

Farmland preservation easements are legally enforceable, permanent deed amendments between a landowner and Henderson County, the easement holder.

“The landowner forfeits the development rights to the land included in the easement in exchange for benefits enforcement and monitoring by the easement holder,” Angela Price, farmland preservation coordinator for the Henderson County Soil and Water Conservation District, explained during a presentation. “Easements are permanent regardless of ownership, so the land can be sold, inherited, passed down, but will continue to be within agriculture as written into the amendment. Easements do not mean that land is purchased or owned by the county, nor does it mean that the land has all of its rights restricted or stripped away. The landowner retains the right to farm, the right to sell, right to live on the land, right to sell or lease anything of that nature. The only thing that is restricted is development, subdivision, and non-agricultural commercial use.”

Farmers retain flexibility in what they grow, too.

The easement “does not restrict the crops or future of the farm,” Price said. “If an orchard owner decides to enter into the easement program, they are not required to remain in an orchard. As long as it’s agricultural, it’s fair game.”

Commissioner Michael Edney posed a situation where a farmer received $300,000 to give up development rights. He asked: “Are you going to tell me how I can spend that money?”

“No, I can’t,” Price responded. “A lot of times, people use it for either purchasing more land or they use it to pay off a mortgage on the land that they have, or on their house, or buying new farm equipment,” she said. “Once it's yours, it's yours.”

Farmers voice support

Commissioners voted unanimously to advance the bond issue to the ballot, setting a public hearing for 9:30 a.m. Monday, Aug. 6, to hear input from voters. Interest on the bonds would total $14 million. The new indebtedness could result in an increase in the county property tax of up to 1 cent — equivalent to $10 per $100,000 valuation — although it could be less than that or zero. (The city of Hendersonville road bond ballot question projected a maximum property tax levy of 2 cents to cover the debt; city administrators told the council they expected it actually would be zero.)

Owners of large and small farms rose to endorse the farmland preservation bond during public comment time on Monday.

“As farmers, (we vow) you have our full support and we’ll show it at the ballot box this fall,” said Mike Stepp, co-owner of Stepp’s Hillcrest Orchard in Edneyville.

Gary Steiner, owner of Beautiful Farm and Garden, said when he first heard of the bond issue “I had some serious doubts about whether it was a good thing.” But when he studied it, he became a believer.

“I know we’ve got a short time here to get it done and put it on the ballot,” he said. “But also realize that we have a short amount of time to preserve farmland. This isn’t a window of time that we’ve got — 15, 20 years. We’ve probably got 10 to 15 years max. And after that, we’re not going to have a whole lot left to save.”

Chuck McGrady, the former county commissioner and former state House member, last week volunteered to organize a campaign in support of the bond issue.

“After this was put in the press last week, I had a lot of contact from a lot of people I hadn’t heard from in a while, so I’m guessing we’ll have a broad campaign,” he said. “It’ll include people, rural, focused on farmland protection, and there’s also going to be a good number of people that aren’t rural, don’t own a farm, but just think it’s the right thing to do.”