Land protected in Sandy Mush

Among the 29 acres protected is scenic farmland

The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy (SAHC) closed on a conservation easement to protect 29 acres of farmland. The new conservation easement at Full Sun Farm will permanently preserve important agricultural soils and ensure that the land remains available for local farm production for future generations. The farm adjoins more than 220 acres of protected, scenic farmland in the Sandy Mush valley.

This newly protected tract fits between SAHC’s first agricultural conservation easement in Sandy Mush and other farmland protected by SAHC and Buncombe County. Permanent protection of the land will also help preserve the scenic beauty along Bald Creek Road.

Over 95% of the recently conserved 29 acres at Full Sun Farm contains important agricultural soils, including 17 acres of nationally important Prime Soils (61.4%), 8.4 acres State Important Soils (30.3%) and 1 acre Locally Important Soils (3.6%).

This conservation easement on Full Sun Farm was made possible by grant funding from the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Services’ Agricultural Conservation Easement Program – Agricultural Land Easements (NRCS ACEP-ALE program), generous support from the Stanback family, a philanthropic $15,000 contribution from The Biltmore Company and a $31,000 grant from Buncombe County toward transaction costs to complete the project. The landowners donated a significant portion of the value of this conservation easement.