A non-profit is bringing opportunities to communities through the support that it gives to beginning farmers. That means that a berry producer has a chance to grow on her own farm rather than in her backyard. Another producer can grow enough Swiss chard and lettuce to help supply a school district and medical center.
These are two emerging farmers in Chaffee County, Colorado, where about 20,000 people reside in the central part of the state. They both benefit from the resources of Guidestone Colorado.
Meanwhile, farmland owners in the central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania could have access to a government preservation program that might yield tax benefits. Counties across the state can participate.
The 80,000 residents of Clearfield County can have the option of putting property in a conservation easement. The follows a new allocation of resources from the county board of supervisors.
The Clearfield County Conservation District laid out the purpose of the program was “to protect viable agricultural lands by obtaining agricultural conservation easements, which protect agricultural lands form development or improvement of the land for any use other than agricultural production.”
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service defines conservation easements:
“A conservation easement is a deed restriction landowners voluntarily place on their property to protect resources such as productive agricultural land, ground and surface water, habitat, historic sites or scenic views. They are used by landowners (‘grantors’) to authorize a qualified conservation organization or public agency (‘grantee’) to monitor and enforce the restrictions set forth in the agreement.
Conservation easements are flexible documents tailored to each property and the needs of individual landowners. They cover either an entire parcel or portions of a property. The landowner usually works with the prospective grantee to resources. Agricultural conservation easements are designed to keep land available for farming.”
There are qualifications for eligibility:
1. The farm must be in an agricultural security area.
2. The area must consist of at least 500 acres.
3. At least 50 acres must be contiguous.
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, “Pennsylvania was the first state in the country to sign a cooperative agreement with the federal Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) to receive funding for preserving farms.”
Conservation easements can also include tax benefits. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service points out that the designation may provide the landowners with income, estate, and property tax deductions.
The easements can also keep the land in private ownership and on local tax rolls. They can be flexible to represent the uniqueness of the property for the farmers and ranchers.
However, agricultural conservation easements can also have drawbacks. They are not always financially viable for some landowners. The easement holder faces certain monitoring and enforcement requirements. And future owners of the property may not want to carry on the terms of the conservation easement.
RELATED: Learn about the potential tax advantages, benefits, and drawbacks from agricultural conservation easements in this report from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. It also lays out restrictions, terms, rights, and valuations.
