Through the Agricultural Conservation Easements Program's Agricultural Land Easements (ACEP-ALE) component, NRCS provides financial assistance to eligible partners for purchasing Agricultural Land Easements that protect the agricultural use and conservation values of eligible land. 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 Agricultural Land Easement 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 agricultural land easement.

Benefits

Agricultural Land Easements protect 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.

Who Is Eligible

Land eligible for agricultural easements includes 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.

To enroll land through agricultural land easements, NRCS enters into agreements with eligible partners.

Grasslands of Special Significance

Conservation easements can support the Sage Grouse Initiative (SGI) by keeping working lands working as intact range. If you have property that lies within one of the Sage Grouse core areas it may, as a grassland of special environmental significance, qualify for the higher NRCS contribution of up to 75 percent. Please contact the land trust of your choice for further information on participating in ACEP-ALE.

• Montana Sage Grouse Initiative Habitat Designations Map (February 2016; PDF; 428 KB)
• USFWS Great Plains Management Zone Map

How to Apply

Landowners and entities interested in using conservation easements to address natural resource concerns can submit applications at any time. Though signup is continuous, funding selections are made at specific times during the fiscal year. The cut-off date for the current ranking period may have passed; please contact your local Service Center.

If you are interested in an Agricultural Land Easement contact one of the entities eligible to hold ALE easements in Montana. Eligible entities may submit proposals to the NRCS state office to acquire conservation easements on eligible land.

Montana Success Stories

• Sheehy Ranch Protects Wildlife Habitat, Agricultural Land in the Potomac Valley (November 2020)
• Spring Family Farm Conserved: 313 acres protected in Springhill (July 2020)
• Visser Ranch Conserved: 779 acres protected west of Four Corners (June 2020)
• Coal Creek Conservation Easement Finalized, Securing Considerable Public Access (May 2020)
• Conserving Rich Farmland and the Flathead River (May 2020)
• Conserving Superb Wildlife Habitat and Family Ranching (May 2020)
• Gates Family Farm Easement Preserves Family Legacy (January 2020)
• Runnin’ Bear Ranch Adds to Agricultural Conservation Momentum in the Burnt Fork (December 2019)
• Hayes Ranch in Montana's Potomac Valley Conserved through Easement (October 2019)
• Kamps Seed Farm Conserved: 494 Acres of Prime Farmland Protected West of the Gallatin River (September 2019)
• Partnering for Easement Success to Benefit Sage Grouse (July 2019)
• Flikkema Family Protects Gallatin Valley Farm From Development (July 2019)
• Weaver Cattle Company Protects Multi-Generational Ranch with Conservation Easement (July 2019)
• Buxbaum-Boulder Creek Conservation Easement (May 2019)
• Preserving Wildlife Migration and Family Ranching in the Big Hole Valley (May 2019)
• The Smith Family Conserves Open Space and Natural Resources with Easement (April 2019)
• Glen Willow: A Land Legacy Protected! (March 2019)
• Anderson Family's Easement Conserves Historic Ranch Near Historic Site (March 2019)
• Raths Family and Partners Conserve Sagebrush Prairie, Working Ranch (March 2019)
• Griffin Family Conserves Working Ranch near Stevensville (February 2019)
• Conservation Easement Protects Springhill Ranch and Provides Public Access (January 2019)
• Easement Near Roy Conserves Working Ranch, Wildlife Habitat, and Public Access (January 2019)

Prior-Year ACEP-ALE Montana Archives

• 2020 Agricultural Land Easement information Archival Purposes Only
• 2019 Agricultural Land Easement information Archival Purposes Only
• 2018 Agricultural Land Easement information Archival Purposes Only

More Information

For more information and updates about ACEP-ALE, please refer to the national NRCS ACEP Web site. Further information on ACEP-ALE in Montana is also available from the following NRCS employees: 

Contacts

Jeff Combs, Program Specialist (ACEP-ALE, FRPP, GRP)
Phone: 406-587-6747
Email: Jeffrey.Combs

Allen Persinger, Program Manager for Easements
Phone: 406-587-6873