MORGANTON, NC — Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina (FCNC) is accepting applications from farmers with at least two years of farming experience to join the land trust’s community farm incubator program for the 2026 growing season. The conservancy is hosting an open house at Oak Hill Community Park & Forest in Morganton, NC, on Thursday, July 24, from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. to learn more about the program. The address is 820 NC 126, Morganton, NC, 28655.
The overall purposes of FCNC’s farm incubator program at Oak Hill Park are to increase the quantity and availability of healthy produce in Western North Carolina, educate local communities about the importance of local food and farms and uplift beginning farmers by providing affordable access to farmland. According to data from the USDA, North Carolina lost more than 3,000 farms and more than 300,000 acres of farmland between 2017 and 2022.
“Simply put, fewer farms means fewer healthy food options in our local communities,” said Ryan Sparks, Stewardship Director for FCNC. He continued, “By providing farmers with access to productive cropland, equipment to increase efficiency and capacity, and the opportunity to learn and share ideas, FCNC and its farm incubator program will help bolster our local agricultural industry and will lead to an increase in independent farm businesses in our area.”
For the inaugural 2026 growing season, FCNC will invite two farmers to participate in the incubator program. Farmers who complete the program will be primed to be agricultural industry leaders in the region and have the skills to generate more farming revenue. Program participants will hone their farming skills, improve their marketing potential and have access to exclusive promotional opportunities.
For a nominal fee, participants will have access to a half-acre of USDA prime farmland soils and use of high-tunnels and equipment, and will gain hands-on mentorship with experienced farmers. Farmers are expected to commit to at least 24 hours per week on their farming operations, where they will have land to grow annual and perennial vegetables, herbs, cut flowers and more. The program does not allow animal husbandry or ornamental nursery plants at this time.
FCNC will host an open house at Oak Hill Community Park & Forest on Thursday, July 24, from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. where visitors can meet with the FCNC team to learn more about the incubator program and see the available land and equipment.
Oak Hill Community Park & Forest is a 652-acre park located ten minutes outside of downtown Morganton that is owned and operated by FCNC. The park is open to the public from sunrise to sunset.
Oak Hill Park is a community open space asset with 11 miles of multi-use trails and a sensory garden pathway that is currently under construction. The park hosts 25 acres of USDA prime farmland soils that are currently leased for commercial operation by Tou and Chue Lee of Lee’s One Fortune Farm, a nationally-renowned, traditional, multifamily-owned Hmong farm that specializes in growing a variety of asian vegetables, fruits, and rice without the use of chemically manufactured pesticides and all organic composts.
“Our partnership with Foothills Conservancy is a wonderful, symbiotic relationship where we share a common goal of utilizing good growing areas as a means to produce food for the community,” said Tou Lee, Owner of Lee’s One Fortune Farm. “My passion is to teach folks about what we do, why we do it, and the importance of growing a variety of crops in a way that is both sustainable and profitable.”
The incubator program will provide farmers with an opportunity to access land and farming equipment, as well as work, learn, grow, and become a farming business of their own alongside Lee’s One Fortune Farm. “This is a great model and we hope that this will set a precedent for other land trusts to work on the same model to influence a new generation of farmers,” says Lee.
“We’re extremely fortunate to have partners Tou and Chue Lee of Lee’s One Fortune Farm, who are willing to share their experience and knowledge to support beginning farmers in our region,” stated Katelyn Nelsen, Land and Stewardship Manager for FCNC.
For farmers with at least two years of experience who are interested in the program, apply at: https://www.foothillsconservancy.org/oakhillpark/communityfarmprogram/ or reach out to Katelyn Nelsen, FCNC’s Land and Stewardship Manager, at knelsen@foothillsconservancy.org. Applications are due by September 1st, 2025.
Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina is a nationally accredited regional land trust that inspires conservation in Western North Carolina by permanently protecting land and water for the benefit of people and all living things. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Foothills Conservancy has permanently protected over 71,500 acres across eight counties: Alexander, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cleveland, Lincoln, McDowell, and Rutherford, and in three major river basins: the Broad, Catawba, and Yadkin.
FCNC supports and responds to community needs across our programmatic focus areas: land and water protection, farmland preservation, wildlife habitat improvement, forest health and stewardship, public park management, public trail development and maintenance, improving access to natural spaces, community education, and volunteer engagement.
Information about Foothills Conservancy, including ways to support its work, can be found online at www.foothillsconservancy.org or by calling 828-437-9930.