Agricultural Land Easements | NRCS Montana
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Agricultural Conservation Easement Program / 

Agricultural Land Easements

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ACEP Highlights

  • Agricultural Land Easements (ALE)
  • Wetland Reserve Easements (WRE)
  • ACEP Fact Sheet

ACEP Related Links

  • ACEP Program Manual
  • DUNs and SAM.gov
  • Montana Payment Schedules
  • Stewardship Lands Easement Locations Public Viewer

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Agricultural Land Easements

Agricultural Conservation Easement Program - Agricultural Land Easements

If you are interested in an Agricultural Land Easement (ALE) please contact one of the entities eligible to hold ALE easements in Montana.

ACEP-ALE guidance and references developed in partnership with the American Farmland Trust for participants and partnering entities.

NRCS in Montana is accepting applications through January 28, 2022, for the current funding cycle. Read the news release.

Program application dates for all states.

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.

Read about Easement Success Stories in Montana.

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 producers and forest managers include agricultural producers, owners of non-industrial private forestland, Indian Tribes, and those with an interest in agricultural or forestry operation.

All landowners of record are required to be in compliance with both the HEL and WC provisions to be considered an eligible participant at time of application as well as at time of payment.

What Land Is Eligible

Land eligible for agricultural easements includes cropland and hayland, grassland, rangeland, pastureland, nonindustrial private forest land, other farm or ranch lands, and environmentally sensitive areas.

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

ACEP-ALE applications are accepted on a continual basis, however, NRCS establishes application ranking dates for evaluation, ranking and approval of eligible applications. NRCS in Montana is accepting ACEP-ALE applications through January 28, 2022, for the current funding cycle. Applications received after the ranking date will be automatically deferred to the next funding period.

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

Application Ranking

NRCS uses the Conservation Assessment Ranking Tool (CART) for all application assessment and ranking. Learn more about CART. NRCS will prioritize ACEP-ALE 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.

  • ACEP-ALE General Montana Ranking Report 2022 (PDF; 108 KB)
  • ACEP-ALE Grassland of Special Significance (GSS) Montana Ranking Report 2022 (PDF; 708 KB)
  • ACEP-ALE Grassland of Special Significance - Sage Grouse Montana Ranking Report 2022 (PDF; 114 KB)
  • ACEP-ALE Montana Parcel Application Checklist 2022 (PDF; 183 KB)

Compensation

  • Montana Payment Schedules

Economic Impact Report

Economic analysis report for conservation easements in Montana.

The NRCS, Montana Association of Land Trusts, and the Heart of the Rockies Initiative have partnered to produce a report of the economic impact of ALE easements in Montana as well as stories from families that have realized economic benefits on their farm or ranch.

  • Between 2014 and 2021 the NRCS, farm and ranch families, and land trusts (or state agency) teamed up to invest $109 million from the Farm Bill ALE program to conserve 289,000 acres of ag lands in 22 Montana counties.
  • Every ALE Farm Bill dollar allocated to farm and ranch conservation yielded $1.89 of economic activity, nearly doubling the positive impact of the Farm Bill funding.
  • 95% of the allocated funds were used to directly assist with farm and ranch agricultural operations and expansion, farm and ranch family succession planning, business strength and stability, and direct purchase of farm and ranch equipment.
  • These dollars produced a total economic impact of $182 million for Montana’s economy, supported 1,057 local jobs and $41.5 million in labor income, and contributed $99 million to Montana’s Gross Domestic Product.  

Report: Working for Montana Agriculture - Economic Benefits of Conservation Easements for Montana's Farms, Ranches, and Communities (PDF; 2.6MB)

Reference: Working for Montana Agriculture - Economic Impact Analysis Full Report (PDF; 306KB)

Reference: Working for Montana Agriculture - Property Tax Analysis Full Report (PDF; 181KB)

Prior-Year ACEP-ALE Montana Archives

  • 2021 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

Matt Whithed, Program Specialist (ACEP-ALE)
Phone: 406-829-3395
Email: Matthew.Whithed

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

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