RALEIGH, N.C. – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in North Carolina is now accepting applications for enrollment for the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026. While NRCS accepts ACEP applications year-round, interested producers and entities must apply by Oct. 10, 2025, to ensure their operations are considered for FY 2026 funding.   

ACEP helps landowners, land trusts and other entities protect, restore and enhance wetlands or protect working farms and ranches through conservation easements in North Carolina and across the U.S. 

ACEP protects the agricultural viability and related conservation values of eligible land by limiting nonagricultural uses which negatively affect agricultural uses and conservation values, protect grazing uses and related conservation values by restoring or conserving eligible grazing land and protecting and restoring and enhancing wetlands on eligible land. 

ACEP has two components: 

• Agricultural Land Easements (ALE) 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.
• Wetland Reserve Easements (WRE) help private and tribal landowners protect, restore and enhance wetlands which have been previously degraded due to agricultural uses. 

To offer land for enrollment in ACEP-ALE, eligible partners (e.g., land trust or soil and water conservation district) must submit the application documents to the NRCS North Carolina State Office. NRCS provides cost-share assistance to these entities to purchase agricultural easements from landowners. NRCS cost-share generally will not exceed 50 percent of the fair market value of the agricultural land easement. The entity must provide an amount that is at least as much as the NRCS contribution. 

For ACEP-WRE, NRCS provides financial assistance directly to private landowners and Indian tribes to restore, protect and enhance wetlands through the purchase of a WRE. For acreage owned by an Indian tribe, there is an additional enrollment option of a 30-year contract. 

Application Eligibility Documentation 

All applicant eligibility documentation must be current for FY 2026 by November 17, 2025.  Eligibility documentation includes: 

•    AD-1026-Highly Erodible Land Conservation and Wetland Conservation Certification 
•    CCC-941 Average Adjusted Gross Income Certification and Consent to Disclosure of Tax Information  
•    CCC-902-I Farm Operating Plan for an Individual  
•    CCC-902-E Farm Operating Plan for an Entity  
•    CCC-901 Members Information  

For questions about ACEP, email Brian Loadholt, assistant state conservationist for easements, at brian.loadholt@usda.gov.  

More Information

To learn more about NRCS programs, producers can contact their local USDA Service Center.  Producers can also apply for NRCS programs, manage conservation plans and contracts, and view and print conservation maps by logging into their farmers.gov account. If you don’t have an account, sign up today. 

For 90 years, NRCS has helped farmers, ranchers and forestland owners make investments in their operations and local communities to improve the quality of our air, water, soil, and wildlife habitat. NRCS uses the latest science and technology to help keep working lands working, boost agricultural economies, and increase the competitiveness of American agriculture. NRCS provides one-on-one, personalized advice and financial assistance and works with producers to help them reach their goals through voluntary, incentive-based conservation programs. For more information, visit nrcs.usda.gov. 

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