Agricultural Conservation
We work with the people who work with the land!
Virginia Agricultural Cost Share Program (VACS)
Contact Stacey Sovick, Conservation Specialist, at sov001@henrico.gov.
Agriculture is the largest source of nutrient and sediment pollution reaching local streams and the Chesapeake Bay. VACS was established to help farmers bear the cost of implementing conservation best management practices (BMPs) that prevent pollution from reaching waterways, including fencing livestock out of streams, planting buffers of trees and native plants along waterways, nutrient management plans that guide fertilizer usage, continuous no-till planting, small grain cover crops, and other practices essential to protecting our streams and the Bay. As part of this program, Henricopolis also provides technical support to help farmers properly install conservation projects in the best locations.
Conservation Easements
Contact Nicole Anderson Ellis, Conservation Easement Coordinator, at nicoleandersonellis@hswcd.org.
Henricopolis is a leader among conservation districts statewide with our Conservation Easement program. We partner with the Capital Region Land Conservancy and Henrico County of help landowners voluntarily preserve forest and farmland, thereby protecting fertile soils, clean water and air, habitat, and scenic beauty in both the James River and Chickahominy watersheds. To date over 725 acres have been preserved in Henrico through this program.
