Attention Farmers and Landowners!
Do you have issues with erosion? Want to improve soil health? Do you lack enough water to meet your needs? Are your animals mucking up your pond? Are your farm paths in rough shape? Do you need help dealing with manure?
We can help you get conservation on the ground!
During fiscal year 2024, the Wake Soil and Water Conservation District encumbered over $130,000 in North Carolina Agriculture Cost Share Program (ACSP) assistance funding for projects in Wake County. This is in addition to funds from other state resources, such as the Agricultural Water Resources Assistance Program (AgWRAP), the Community Conservation Assistance Program (CCAP) and more.
With the new fiscal year upon us, the Wake Soil and Water Conservation District anticipates receiving a new cost share allocation from the State to assist with nonpoint source pollution control from agricultural activities. These funds are intended to assist producers installing conservation practices to reduce the amount of sediment, phosphorous, nitrogen and other pollutants entering surface and ground water resources in our state. Landowners and operators of existing agricultural operations may apply for cost share assistance to install conservation practices such as grassed waterways, cropland conversion, cover crop, livestock exclusion and many more.
Farmers and landowners are encouraged to contact the Wake SWCD office.
phone: (919) 250-1051 | email: swcd@wake.gov | website: wake.gov/swcd
2023 Wake SWCD Annual Awards
For 58 years, the Wake Soil and Water Conservation District has celebrated the achievements of the exceptional people protecting our county’s soil, water, farms, wildlife habitat and environment. From maintaining a family farm for more than a century to creating impactful environmental posters, the winners of the Wake County Soil and Water Conservation District’s annual awards have gone above and beyond to protect our natural resources and land. To learn more about the award winners, watch this video and check out their profiles below.
Farm Family of the Year
The 2023 Farm Family of the Year Award goes to Thomas Jordan and Sons Family Farms. The Jordan family has been farming in Wake County since 1920. Jerry Jordan, his son Jeff and farm employee Pablo Ramirez manage 200 acres of farmland in southeastern Wake County, growing soybeans, sweet potatoes, wheat and hay. They also manage a herd of 15 brood cattle with 10 to 12 calves. In 2023, Thomas Jordan and Sons Family Farms installed a system to protect their farm's stream, including a well, pump, 800 feet of pipeline, two watering tanks, three heavy-use areas and 1,350 feet of stream exclusion fencing. This system keeps cattle away from surface waters and provides an alternative water source. The stream protection system helps reduce soil erosion and nutrient runoff, and it improves the overall water quality of Middle Creek.
The Patrick H. Johnson Farmland Preservation Award
This year's Farmland Preservation Award is presented to Bailey Farms, managed by Jim Bailey and his son Matthew Bailey. The Baileys have voluntarily agreed to place 125 acres of their 129-acre farm into the Wake Soil and Water Conservation District’s Farmland Preservation Program, which will permanently safeguard the property from development. Approximately 75% of the farm's soils are considered prime farmland, holding statewide importance and protecting streams and wildlife.
Big Sweep Outstanding Volunteer Award
Iwona Birk and Jennifer Browndorf are the recipients of the Outstanding Volunteer Award for their exceptional dedication, initiative and leadership within Wake County Big Sweep. The program coordinates several litter cleanups focused on protecting our water quality and environment in Wake County throughout the year. Jennifer and Iwona, who are also active members of Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, initiated a collaboration with Big Sweep to conduct a cleanup effort at Falls Lake, a vital source of drinking water for Wake County. They focused on the Mountains-to-Sea trailheads, where they now hold biannual sweeps. In a short time, they have organized and implemented four successful events, resulting in the removal of an impressive 3,522 pounds of trash and recycling.
B.C. Raynor Friend of the District Award
This year’s award goes to Art Ross, a longtime friend and advocate of the Wake Soil and Water Conservation District. The B.C. Raynor Friend of the District Award honors individuals, the business community and other conservation organizations for their remarkable contributions to the Wake Soil and Water Conservation District programs. After retiring as the pastor of White Memorial Presbyterian Church, Art Ross got a yellow kayak from his congregation. When he paddled down Crabtree Creek for the first time, he noticed a lot of litter. In 2011, Art assumed the role of Big Sweep Zone Captain, succeeding Bill Garrabrant, and led flotillas of volunteers in canoes and kayaks down Crabtree Creek to remove tons of trash. In July 2023, Art announced a financial donation to establish the Sheila B. Jones Environmental Education Scholarship award in honor of retired Environmental Educator Sheila Jones.
Big Sweep Outstanding Partner of the Year
This year, Wake County Big Sweep awards Green for Life Environmental (GFL) with the Partner of the Year Award. Since 2019, the company has consistently supported Big Sweep cleanups, dedicating staff time, disposal services and roll-off dumpsters. GFL has played a crucial role in helping Wake County Big Sweep remove 37,480 pounds of trash across eight large events. Their generous contributions have been instrumental in making Big Sweep cleanup efforts possible.
Poster Contest Winners
More than one hundred fourth and fifth graders from 10 schools in Wake County participated in "The Living Soil" conservation poster contest to showcase how people can protect soil and why it's essential. A panel of judges selected the top 10 posters, and from these, the Wake District Board of Supervisors chose the top three winners: Atri Mandal from Poe Elementary, Emily Marek from Green Hope Elementary and Kiaan Salim from Green Hope Elementary. Each student artist was presented with a plaque and a cash award of $100, $50 and $25, respectively, from contest co-sponsor Novozymes North America Inc.
Wake County Big Sweep
Spring Season Report – The Results Are In!
This Spring Season was like no other for Wake County Big Sweep! 858 dedicated volunteers cleaned up trash and recycling across 1,565 acres in Wake County. Over the course of 23 coordinated cleanups, a total of 34,436 pounds of litter was removed and properly disposed of. 10,667 pounds, or roughly 1/3, of that litter was recycled, including 128 tires! This season also featured the first launch of Big Sweep’s very own watercraft fleet, made possible by Heidelberg Materials. While sometimes physically challenging, this season’s 5 watercraft events were even more rewarding. Watercraft events allow volunteers to pull garbage directly out of the waterways this program aims to protect, making a huge impact.
Thank you to the amazing partners that make Big Sweep possible, including Heidelberg Materials Inc, Green For Life Environmental, City of Raleigh Greenways, Cape Fear River Adventures, and Wake County Parks, Recreation, and Open Space.
Stay connected with Big Sweep:
Report a littered area
If you know of an area in Wake County that has trash deposits and could use a dedicated team to clean it, then please reach out to Big Sweep Coordinator Alex Heinemann at alexandra.heinemann@wake.gov.
Education
Wake County Students Excel In Regional and State Envirothon Competitions
The Envirothon is an academic environmental science competition that tests students’ knowledge in areas such as wildlife, forestry, aquatic ecology, soils and land use and current environmental issues. 20 teams from Wake County participated in the regional competition, with 3 of the middle school teams and 5 high school teams qualifying for the 2024 North Carolina Envirothon competition. Subchronic Exposure from Enloe High School won 1st place at the state competition against 49 other high school teams! This team was awarded a commemorative plaque, a cash prize of $200, and each student received a $500 scholarship! This team will go on to compete at the international competition in Geneva, NY, from July 28-August 3rd. They will compete against teams from across the United States, as well as Singapore, China, and Canada. Subchronic Exposure has been working hard this summer to prepare for the competition!
High School Students Explore Careers in Conservation at 59th Annual Resource Conservation Workshop
NC State held its annual Resource Conservation Workshop (RCW), a weeklong conservation camp for high school rising juniors and seniors. The Wake Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors sponsored 3 students and the Friends of the Wake Soil and Water Conservation District sponsored 3 more students to attend the 2024 Resource Conservation Workshop. In total, 7 students from Wake County attended the RCW, and the Soil and Water Day was a great success! Students learned about surveying methods and best management practices for crop field and pasture management. Two Wake County students received cash prizes for their high scores in the final exam at the end of the RCW week.
Sheila B. Jones Environmental Education Scholarship
A new scholarship has been launched by the Friends of the Wake Soil and Water Conservation District to honor Sheila B. Jones, a longtime Environmental Educator at Wake SWCD. This scholarship is a $1,000 award available to high school and college students pursuing a career in Environmental Education. Special consideration is given to those in financial need or those that are underrepresented in the field of environmental education. The recipient is selected in mid-late July and invited to attend a virtual Friends of the Wake SWCD Board Meeting to receive the award.
For more information on Wake Soil & Water Conservation District's Environmental Education Programs, contact Environmental Educator, Leah Purvis, at leah.purvis@wake.gov or 919-250-1065.
Farmland Preservation
Program Snapshot
Voluntary Agricultural District (VAD) - 12,926 acres
Enhanced Voluntary Agricultural District (EVAD) - 177 acres
Agricultural Conservation Easements - 241 acres
Oaky Grove and Bailey Farm Lead the Way In Permanent Farmland Preservation
The I’s are dotted, the t’s are crossed, and two Wake County farms have officially entered agricultural conservation easements – permanently protecting about 240 acres from development. We celebrate these community leaders for putting in the effort and blazing the trail for Wake County’s Agricultural Conservation Easement Program.
The Oaky Grove Farm, just off Turnipseed Road in eastern Wake County, is owned by Carol and Talmage Brown. The conservation easement includes 112 acres of forest land and prime farmland, a portion of which is leased to the Karen Community Farm who grow predominately Asian-style vegetables and flowers.
The Bailey Farm, located just outside of Wendell is owned by father and son, James and Matthew Bailey. The Bailey’s placed 125 acres of their 129-acre farm into a conservation easement, including 55 acres of cropland which are leased to local farmers who grow a variety of vegetables, such as squash and sweet potatoes.
Troxler Recognizes Wake County’s Innovative Farmland Preservation Program
NC Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler recognized Wake County Commissioners and staff for their farmland preservation work by honoring them with the 2023 NC Friends of Farmland Award at the Wake Board of Commissioners Meeting on May 20, 2024.
In March, the Wake County Board of Commissioners allocated the second round of funding for the Deferred Agricultural, Horticultural and Forestlands Tax Program, also known as the rollback tax, committing a further $3.6 million to fund permanent conservation easements. This will complement the $3.4 million awarded to Wake in June by NC Agricultural Development and Farmland Preservation Trust (NCADFP) for farmland preservation projects.
What Else Is Going On?
In just the first half of 2024, the Agricultural Advisory Board (AAB) approved 1 EVAD and 15 VAD applications, protecting a total of 659.59 acres. The AAB also approved a Memorandum of Understanding with Johnston County to recognize and validate VAD parcels that cross county lines – the first of its kind in the state. This innovative action helped to ensure a new VAD farm could join the program.
In May, the update to the Wake County Cost of Community Services Study, produced by the University of Mt. Olive in conjunction with Wake County staff, was published. The study found that for each $1 of revenue from agricultural and forestry land, the county spent 24 cents on services. Read more about the study in the Spectrum News Report, Disappearing farms: Wake Co. studies what it means to lose agriculture.
To learn more about the Farmland Preservation Program, contact Farmland Preservation Coordinator, Loren Hendrickson, at loren.hendrickson@wake.gov or 919-250-1068.
Keeping the Farm Workshop
The 19th Annual Keeping the Farm Workshop was offered on March 20th, 2024 at the Wake County Commons Building to support local farmers and forest landowners. Over 150 people attended or tuned in to learn about topics related to protecting and preserving their family farms, including: Property Tax and Land Value, Passing Down or Selling Land, Farmland Succession, Conserving the Family Farm, Wildlife Conservation Land Program, Eminent Domain and Asset Protection, & NC FarmLink.
Following a classic southern lunch provided by Forks Cafeteria, smaller breakout sessions were offered where attendees could ask questions and presenters could go more in-depth on their subject matter. To see video clips of this year's presentations and the presenter's slides, visit the Wake Soil & Water Conservation District website.
Mark Your Calendars!
Meetings and Closures:
August 14 – Wake SWCD Board Meeting
September 2 – Labor Day (Office Closed)
September 14 – Wake SWCD Board Meeting
September 16-19 – NCASWCD Conservation Employees Training
October 9 – Wake SWCD Board Meeting
November 11 – Veterans Day (Office Closed)
November 13 – Wake SWCD Board Meeting
November 21 – Area IV Fall Meeting
November 28-29 – Thanksgiving (Office Closed)
December 11 – Wake SWCD Board Meeting
If you have any questions or need assistance, don't hesitate to email us at swcd@wake.gov or call 919-250-1051.