Farms.com Real Estate

Member Login:

Password:






Retrieve Your Password

News

Back
Applications Sought for Ag Conservation Easement Proposals Applications Sought for Ag Conservation Easement Proposals Originally appeared on "wisconsinagconnection.com" March 18, 2010 Local units of government and nonprofit conservation organizations interested in permanent preservation of farmland can now apply for matching funds for the purchase of agricultural conservation easements. Under the PACE program, the state will provide matching funds to cooperating entities to purchase permanent easements. State Agriculture Secretary Rod Nilsestuen says the landowner retains ownership and continues to farm but the easement permanently restricts non-agricultural development of the property. The easement remains with the land and all future landowners are bound by the terms of the easement. "By working with willing sellers, a conservation easement is placed on high quality farmland to ensure that productive agricultural land remains available for future generations of farmers," Secretary Nilsestuen said. "The landowner is compensated for placing these restrictions on the property." To be eligible for funding, applications must meet the following requirements: The entire property must be located in a farmland preservation area designated in the county's certified farmland preservation plan. A qualified farm conservation plan must be in effect for the property. At least 50 percent of the property must be cropland, pasture, or grassland. The land must produce at least $6,000 in gross farm revenues during the tax year in which the application is made or $18,000 during the last three years. ** All owners of the affected land must sign a statement indicating that they are willing to convey the proposed agricultural conservation easement. Applications will be scored and ranked according to a number of evaluation criteria such as the soil quality for farming, the size of the farm and the percentage of land on the property devoted to cropland, pasture and grassland. Other factors include: consistency with county and local farmland preservation planning and zoning, the level of community support and the proximity to other protected land.
Back

Resources

Buying and selling of agricultural land can be very complex. To help you tackle the issues surrounding agricultural land transactions, Farms.com Real Estate has compiled a list of experts in the areas of agricultural economics and land values.

University of Illinois

Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics, Extension Specialist, Farm Management
Gary Schnitkey
schnitke@uiuc.edu

Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics, Extension Specialist, Farm Management
Dale Lattz
d-lattz@uiuc.edu

Iowa State University

Michael Duffy
mduffy@iastate.edu
http://www.econ.iastate.edu/faculty/duffy/landnew.html

Kansas State University

Kevin Dhuyvetter
Professor and Extension Specialist, Farm Management
kcd@ksu.edu

Terry Kastens
Professor and Extension Specialist, Farm Management
tkastens@agecon.ksu.edu

Michigan State University

Stephen Harsh
Professor and Extension Specialist in Agricultural Economics
harsh@msu.edu

Eric Wittenberg
Outreach Specialist
wittenbe@msu.edu

University of Minnesota

Philip Raup
Professor Emeritus
praup@umn.edu

David Bau
Agricultural Business Management, Agricultural Business Management
bauxx003@umn.edu


About Us \| Sitemap \| Legal \| Terms Condition \| Contact Us \| ©2007 Farms.com