USDA announces $350 million in funding for agriculture easements

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced that landowners on key farmlands, grasslands and wetlands throughout the country may be eligible to receive some of the $350 million in funding available through the Agriculture Conservation Easement Program (ACEP).

The easement program allows landowners to voluntarily sell portions of their land as permanent or 30-year easements, which protect the country’s food supply and natural environment. The program holds farmlands so that they cannot be converted into other uses. By doing so, the program preserves grasslands and wetlands as wildlife habitats as well as prevents flooding damage and restores groundwater.

“The benefits of restoring, enhancing and protecting these working agricultural lands and critical wetlands cannot be overstated,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said. “USDA is committed to preserving working agricultural lands to help protect the long-term viability of farming across the country as well as to restoring and protecting vital sensitive wetlands that provide important wildlife habitat and improve water quality.”

The ACEP invested over $600 million over the past two years, protecting approximately 250,000 acres around the nation and creating more than 750 easements.