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Apply for FY 25 Agricultural Land Easement assistance from USDA by December deadlines

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Feed corn, ready to harvest on the stalks at the John N. Mills & Sons farm; a family owned business located in the Hanover and King William Counties Virginia, on Friday, Sept. 20, 2013. Pleasant Level Farm was the original farm from a Land Grant from King George III of England to Nicholas Mills in 1725. The original acreage has never left the Mills family name and continues to be farmed by the family. Now the farm covers 5,744 acres that produce corn, wheat, soybeans, barley, hay, timber, and pastures a

Public encouraged to submit applications as soon as possible for consideration

­­­BANGOR (Nov. 18, 2024) – The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is encouraging the public to apply now for assistance to help protect agricultural use and conservation values of eligible land in Maine.

NRCS recently announced two rounds of December applications (Dec. 6 and Dec. 20, 2024) for its Agricultural Conservation Easements Program - Agricultural Land Easements (ACEP-ALE) funding. Although applications are accepted throughout the year, these deadlines are for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) funding; applications received after those dates will be considered for Fiscal Year 2026 funding.

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.

NRCS provides financial assistance to eligible partners for purchasing perpetual Agricultural Land Easements. In the case of working farms, the program helps farmers and ranchers keep their land in agriculture. The program also protects grazing uses and related conservation values by conserving grassland, including rangeland, pastureland and shrubland. Eligible partners include American Indian Tribes, state and local governments, and non-governmental organizations that have farmland, rangeland or grassland protection programs.

Under the ALE component, NRCS may contribute up to 50 percent of the fair market value of the agricultural land easement. 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 ALE. 

For more detailed information on Agricultural Land Easements, including eligibility and how to apply, please visit the Agricultural Land Easements in Maine site or contact Natural Resources Specialist Bill Jones at (207) 289-2817 or William.jones1@usda.gov. 
 

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