The USDA announced new funding for the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP). It helps landowners and other eligible entities conserve, restore and protect wetlands, productive agricultural lands and grasslands at risk of conversion to npn-grassland uses.

The funding comes from the Inflation Reduction Act. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service accepts year-round ACEP Agricultural Land Easements (ACEP-ALE) and Wetland Reserve Easments (ACEP-WRE) applications. Producers, landowners and partners can apply by October 4 or December 20, 2024, at their local NRCS office.

For ACEP-ALE, the priority is:

  • Grasslands in areas of highest risk for conversion to non-grassland uses.
  • Agricultural lands under threat of conversion to non-agricultural uses.
  • State-specific priorities include rice cultivation on subsiding highly organic soils.

For AECP-WRE, the priority is:

  • Land with soils high in organic carbon.
  • Eligible lands that will be restored to and managed as forests.
  • Eligible lands in existing forest cover will be managed as forests.
  • Several geographically specific priorities (i.e., former cranberry bogs, wet meadows, and ephemeral wetlands in grassland ecosystems).

Read more about the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program here.