Durham County Cooperative Extension was awarded a Golden LEAF Foundation grant for $475,000 for the Durham County Farm Campus project. The Durham County Farm Campus project is a long-term goal to develop a farm property for education to help farmers learn and grow their businesses in Durham County. This grant supports Phase 1 of this project by creating a farm manager position and providing funds for infrastructure, equipment, supplies, and training.
The Farm Campus will serve as a centralized agricultural hub designed to strengthen a resilient local food system by addressing the root causes of food insecurity while fostering entrepreneurship and workforce development. It will provide training, infrastructure, and business support for farmers at all stages, filling a critical gap in agricultural education and resources across Durham County.
The idea for Farm Campus has been part of a community conversation started by the Durham County Farmland Protection Advisory Board about land accessibility, conservation, and agriculture support in Durham County for nearly a decade. Cooperative Extension secured a 2022 USDA Urban Agriculture Innovation Production (UAIP) grant to lead a Farm Campus feasibility study. The study concluded in June 2025 with strong recommendations for launching the project and a 10-year roadmap to implement the campus in three phases with significant community input. The feasibility study, along with the support of the Durham County Open Space Program, contributed to Durham County's purchase of a plot of land totaling 129 acres in 2025. The property, at the intersection of Hwy. 501 and Orange Factory Road will accommodate the Farm Campus along with trails and other open space uses. The application for the Golden LEAF Grant was a logical next step for Durham County Cooperative Extension to find a way to fund the earliest phase of Farm Campus.
Golden LEAF Foundation awarded the $475,000 for Farm Campus as one of 11 projects funded through the Community-Based Grants Initiative in the North Central Prosperity Zone. Agriculture is one of the Foundation's priority areas to fulfill Golden LEAF's mission of creating economic opportunity in rural, tobacco-dependent, and economically distressed communities.
For additional information, please explore the March 15 feature article in the INDY or the March 17 WNCN news feature.
