The Conservation Fund’s Carolina Farms Fund Acquires 296-Acre Farm at Risk of Development

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Conservation Fund’s Carolina Farms Fund today announced the purchase of the 296-acre Russell Farm in Locust, N.C., protecting productive farmland from development and helping a fourth-generation farming family build a more secure future in the fast-growing Charlotte region.

The transaction comes as development pressure reshapes the surrounding area. A neighboring farm is being converted into a 1,000-unit housing development, underscoring the urgency of securing working farmland before it is lost.

“When a farm goes up for sale, the family farming it can lose much more than acreage. They can lose the foundation of their business,” said Eva Caison, Carolina Farms Fund program manager. “This purchase keeps productive land in farming and gives the Barrier family a path toward ownership, so they can plan and invest for the next generation.”

Landon and Shannon Barrier have leased the property for many years, and their family operates Barrier Farms in Mount Pleasant. The acquisition of Russell Farm protects a critical part of the Barriers’ agricultural business and creates a pathway for them to own land critical to their success. More than 90% of the property is prime farmland.

The acquisition approximately triples the acreage in the Carolina Farms Fund’s portfolio, significantly expanding its work to protect farmland, strengthen local food production, and create affordable pathways to farm ownership in the Charlotte region. It builds on the program’s partnerships with Deep Roots CPS Farm and Boy and Girl Farm.

Landon and Shannon Barrier, along with their children, produce GMO-free grain, hay and pasture-raised meat across more than 2,000 acres in the region. Their family business includes a feed mill, and they sell products directly to the community through the Barrier General Store.

“Our family has farmed for more than four generations, but it is hard to plan for the next one when you don’t own much of the land you work,” said Landon and Shannon Barrier. “The Russell Farm has been an important part of our operation for years. Knowing it will stay in farming — and that we have a path to owning it — gives us the confidence to keep building a future here for our children.”

The acquisition addresses a growing regional challenge. According to research from the UNC Charlotte Urban Institute, the Charlotte region lost 760 farms between 2017 and 2022 — nearly one out of every 13 farms in the area.

“Keeping farms viable requires both productive land and farmers who can afford to own it,” said Krisztián Varsa, director of the Farms Fund program at The Conservation Fund. “The Russell family’s selfless decision to work with the Farms Fund to protect their land created an opportunity to achieve both. This project shows how landowners, farmers and conservation partners can work together to keep farmland in production as communities grow.”

Through its Farms Fund model, The Conservation Fund purchases threatened farmland, works to permanently protect its agricultural use, and creates an affordable pathway to ownership for farmers. The Russell Farm acquisition is the first step in that process for Barrier Farms.

About The Conservation Fund
The Conservation Fund protects the land that sustains us all. We are in the business of conservation, creating innovative solutions that drive nature-based action in all 50 states for climate protection, vibrant communities and sustainable economies. We apply effective strategies, efficient financing approaches and enduring government, community and private partnerships to protect millions of acres of America’s natural land, cultural sites, recreation areas and working forests and farms. To learn more, visit www.conservationfund.org.

About Barrier Farms
Barrier Farms is a fourth-generation family farming operation based in Mount Pleasant, North Carolina, operated by Landon and Shannon Barrier and their children. The family produces GMO-free grain, hay and pasture-raised meat across more than 2,000 acres in the region, operates a family-run feed mill and sells products directly to the community.