Lord Fairfax Soil & Water District receives $8.6 million for farm conservation projects

The Lord Fairfax Soil and Water Conservation District (LFSWCD) has been awarded $8.6 million in state funding for agricultural conservation projects during the 2026 program year.

The funding, provided through the Virginia Agricultural Best Management Practices (VACS) Cost-Share Program, is available exclusively to farmers within the district’s service area.

The VACS program offers financial and technical support to help producers implement conservation practices that improve water quality, protect soil
health, and enhance long-term farm sustainability.

Farmers may receive up to $300,000 in cost-share assistance for more than 60 approved practices, including cover cropping, nutrient management, livestock stream exclusion, and rotational grazing.

The program is administered by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) in partnership with Virginia’s 47 Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs).

Farmers interested in applying should contact their local SWCD. A map of local districts and contact details is available here.

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Need more buffers in your life?

Virginia Department of Forestry used by permission from VDF Communication Specialist Cory Swift-Turner

The Virginia Department of Forestry (DOF) announced it successfully planted 170 acres of riparian forest buffers during the Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 seasons through its new Riparian Forests for Landowners (RFFL) program.

The program awarded $650,800 to 85 private landowners for projects that protect water quality across the state.

While it fell slightly short of its 200-acre goal, RFFL helped DOF reach a total of 856 acres of buffer planting in 2024.

Funded by the Virginia State Water Quality Improvement Act, RFFL supports a wide range of landowners, not just farmers, and covers both planting and one year of maintenance.

New Funding Now Available for the DOF is accepting proposals for the 2025–2027 RFFL cycle.

Deadline: July 29, 2025, at 2 p.m.

Apply via eVA.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.Â