Henderson County, North Carolina, is putting a major farmland-preservation proposal before voters in November 2026. If approved, a general obligation bond could authorize up to $25 million for the county’s existing Farmland Preservation Program, which works with willing landowners to permanently conserve agricultural land by purchasing development rights.
The proposal comes amid significant changes to the region’s landscape. Carolina Public Press reports that Henderson County lost more than 8,000 acres of farmland between 2017 and 2022. The county remains an important agricultural area in western North Carolina, but residential development has increasingly reached historically rural areas.
Rather than requiring farmers to sell their property, the preservation program is voluntary. A participating landowner can sell an agricultural conservation easement that restricts development while allowing the property to remain in agricultural or forestry use. Henderson County’s rules state that these easements are legally binding and apply to future owners as well.
The $25 million is therefore not yet approved spending. County commissioners placed the question before voters, who will decide whether the county may issue the bonds. Henderson County says repayment would come through property taxes and estimates that a home assessed at $400,000 would see approximately $40.40 in additional county property taxes annually if the bonds are approved.
