# Agricultural Land Easements

## Breadcrumb

-  Home 
-  Programs & Initiatives 
-  Agricultural Land Easements 

Agricultural Land Easements****help private and tribal landowners, land trusts, and other entities such as state and local governments protect croplands and grasslands on working farms and ranches by limiting non-agricultural uses of the land through conservation easements.

## On This Page

            - Contact Information
            - How to Get Assistance
            - Related News and Events

**NRCS is streamlining its Agricultural Conservation Easement Program to improve the program for landowners and partners.****Learn more about these changes****.**

----

## Benefits

The Agricultural Land Easements component of the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program protects the long-term viability of the nation’s food supply by preventing conversion of productive working lands to non-agricultural uses. Land protected by agricultural land easements provides additional public benefits, including environmental quality, historic preservation, wildlife habitat and protection of open space. Additionally, Agricultural Land Easements leverage local partnerships to match NRCS funding and local partners are responsible for the long-term stewardship of the easement.

## Who is eligible?

                - Eligible partners include American Indian tribes, state and local governments and non-governmental organizations that have farmland, rangeland or grassland protection programs. 
                - Eligible landowners include owners of privately held land including land that is held by tribes and tribal members.
                - All landowners, including required members of landowner-legal entities, must meet adjusted gross income (AGI) limitations and must be compliant with the HEL/WC provisions of the Food Security Act of 1985.

## What land is eligible?

Land eligible for agricultural easements includes private or Tribal land that is agricultural land, cropland, rangeland, grassland, pastureland and nonindustrial private forest land. NRCS will prioritize applications that protect agricultural uses and related conservation values of the land and those that maximize the protection of contiguous acres devoted to agricultural use, including land on a farm or ranch.

Eligible Land Types must also meet one of the four following land eligibility criteria:
                - Parcels enrolled to protect Prime, Unique, or Other productive soil.
                - Parcels enrolled to provide protection of grazing uses and related conservation values.
                - Parcels containing historical or archeological resources.
                - Land that furthers a state or local policy consistent with the purposes of ACEP-ALE.

## How does it work?

NRCS provides financial assistance to eligible partners for purchasing Agricultural Land Easements that protect the agricultural use and conservation values of eligible land.

For working farms, the program helps farmers and ranchers keep their land in agriculture. Under the Agricultural Land Easement component, NRCS may contribute up to 50 percent of the fair market value of the agricultural land easement.

The program also protects grazing uses and related conservation values by conserving grassland, including rangeland, pastureland and shrubland. Where NRCS determines that grasslands of special environmental significance will be protected, NRCS may contribute up to 75 percent of the fair market value of the agricultural land easement.

Agricultural Land Easements are permanent or for the maximum term allowed by law.

## How do I find an eligible partner to hold my Agricultural Land Easement?

Visit the following websites to learn how to find an eligible partner to hold conservation easements.
                - Farmland Protection Directory 
                - Land Trust Alliance 

## How to get started?

**Landowners** - To learn more about ALE, contact your local NRCS office. An NRCS conservationist will visit you and evaluate your land to help you determine eligibility for the various components of ACEP. If your land is eligible for ALE and you are looking for an eligible entity to hold your conservation easement; please visit ACEP-ALE for Landowners - FIC.

**Eligible Entities** - To learn more about ALE, please contact your NRCS state office programs staff to inquire about how you can partner with NRCS to enroll conservation easements on eligible land.
                - ACEP-ALE for Entities
                - Agricultural Land Easement Program Toolkit

##   Additional Documents

How to Find a Partner to Hold an Agricultural Land Easement(132.8 KB)

ACEP-ALE Certification Factsheet(317.5 KB)

Is ACEP Right for Me? fact sheet(988.5 KB)

Ensuring the Future of Agriculture booklet(8.95 MB)

Notice on Expedited Requests for Easement Boundary Line Amendments to Incorporate IRS Safe Harbor Provisions into Deed Terms(216.05 KB)

Checklist for Streamlined Safe Harbor Boundary Line Adjustment Amendment Request(107.36 KB)

##   Related Programs

### Agricultural Conservation Easement Program

The Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) helps landowners, land trusts, and other entities protect, restore, and enhance wetlands or protect working farms and ranches through conservation easements.

### Wetland Reserve Easements

Wetlands Reserve Easements****(WRE) help private and tribal landowners protect, restore and enhance wetlands which have been previously degraded due to agricultural uses.

## Ready to get started?

Contact your local service center to start your application.

## Find Your Local Service Center

    USDA Service Centers are locations where you can connect with Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, or Rural Development employees for your business needs. Enter your state and county below to find your local service center and agency offices. If this locator does not work in your browser, please visit offices.usda.gov.  

##   How to Get Assistance

**Do you farm or ranch and want to make improvements to the land that you own or lease?**

Natural Resources Conservation Service offers technical and financial assistance to help farmers, ranchers and forest landowners.

**Print this information

###         Step 1: Make a Plan    

**To get started with NRCS, we recommend you stop by your local NRCS field office. We’ll discuss your vision for your land.**

NRCS provides landowners with free technical assistance, or advice, for their land. Common technical assistance includes: resource assessment, practice design and resource monitoring. Your conservation planner will help you determine if financial assistance is right for you.

###         Step 2: Start an Application    

**We’ll walk you through the application process. To get started on applying for financial assistance, we’ll work with you:**
                        - To fill out an AD 1026, which ensures a conservation plan is in place before lands with highly erodible soils are farmed. It also ensures that identified wetland areas are protected.
                        - To meet other eligibility certifications.

Once complete, we’ll work with you on the application, or CPA 1200.

Applications for most programs are accepted on a continuous basis, but they’re considered for funding in different ranking periods. Be sure to ask your local NRCS district conservationist about the deadline for the ranking period to ensure you turn in your application in time.

###         Step 3: Check your eligibility    

**As part of the application process, we’ll check to see if you are eligible. To do this, you’ll need to bring:**
                        - An official tax ID (Social Security number or an employer ID)
                        - A property deed or lease agreement to show you have control of the property; and
                        - A farm number.

If you don’t have a farm number, you can get one from USDA’s Farm Service Agency. Typically, the local FSA office is located in the same building as the local NRCS office. You only need a farm number if you’re interested in financial assistance.

###         Step 4: Rank your application    

**NRCS will take a look at the applications and rank them** according to local resource concerns, the amount of conservation benefits the work will provide and the needs of applicants. View Application Ranking Dates by State.

###         Step 5: Implement your plan    

**If you’re selected, you can choose whether to sign the contract for the work to be done.**

Once you sign the contract, you’ll be provided standards and specifications for completing the practice or practices, and then you will have a specified amount of time to implement. Once the work is implemented and inspected, you’ll be paid the rate of compensation for the work if it meets NRCS standards and specifications.

----

## Related News and Events

NewsSave Rhode Island’s Farmland, Forestland and Wetlands with USDA Conservation EasementsApril 03, 2024

Press ReleaseEasements in Action in North CarolinaMarch 27, 2024

NewsAgricultural Producers to Conserve Land through Climate-Smart Easements as part of President Biden’s Investing in America AgendaMarch 13, 2024

          -  View More News 
          -  View More Events