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The program provides an opportunity for landowners to place land
into an easement while continuing to produce an agricultural
commodity. This Ag Land Easement program protects agriculture
land from conversion to uses other than agriculture. According
to Willis, “Many landowners find these programs useful when they
want to leave a farming legacy. Others want to protect
agriculture land from Urban expansion. With these programs, you
can do just that.”
ACEP-ALE is different than many other easement programs, in that
it requires an entity to assist with the cost of purchasing the
easement and the entity also holds the easement instead of NRCS.
This often appeals to some landowners because they feel more
comfortable with the entity serving as the easement holder. Who
can serve as an ‘entity’? Eligible entities include state and
local governments and non-governmental organizations that have
farmland or grassland protection programs, can qualify as an
eligible entity.
For the FY2023 Signup, great resources are available to help
explain the Ag Land Easement program requirements for entities
and landowners. NRCS worked with American Farmland Trust (AFT)
to create documents that walk a landowner or entity through the
easement process. These resource materials are located on the
NRCS IL website at
www.nrcs.usda.gov/il.
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The ACEP-ALE signup process is continuous;
applications can be taken at any time. NRCS will conduct the first
opportunity for funding during the first application cutoff of
December 1, 2023. All eligible applications received through
December 1, 2023, will be considered for funding. An additional
funding cutoff for ACEP-ALE will be determined.
Entities interested in participating in ACEP-ALE must submit an
NRCS-CPA-41 Entity Application Form along with NRCS-CPA-41A Parcel
Application Form, for all the parcels they would like to fund in
FY24.
To learn more, producers and entities should call to set up
appointments with local NRCS office staff. Visit www.nrcs.usda.gov/il
to find your local office contact information.
[Aaron Patrick
Public Affairs Specialist
USDA NRCS Illinois]
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