What is a farmland conservation easement?

What is a farmland conservation easement?

Agricultural 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, wildlife habitat, historic sites or scenic views.

What are the disadvantages of a conservation easement?

Cons:

• A conservation easement is typically perpetual.
• A future owner or your heirs may not have the same affinity for conservation as you do.
• The future value of the property will likely be diminished as a result of the restrictions of the easement.
• Not all land will qualify for a conservation easement.

What does it mean when a property has a conservation easement?

The most common way to protect land is by “conservation easement.” A conservation easement (also known as a conservation restriction or conservation agreement) is a voluntary, legal agreement between a landowner and a land trust or government agency that permanently limits uses of the land in order to protect its …

How do agricultural easements work?

Agricultural Conservation Easements When an easement is enacted, the landowner essentially either sells or donates the right to develop the land to the California Farmland Trust, which cannot exercise that right. The result is a property that cannot be developed, and must always be used for agriculture.

How much is my conservation easement worth?

Impact On the Value Of the Land The value of a conservation easement is determined by a qualified appraiser. The appraiser determines the value of the land before the conservation easement and subtracts the value of the land after the conservation easement to determine at the value of the conservation easement.

How can we protect farm land?

Protection Strategies Such strategies include agricultural zoning, agricultural buffers, right-to-farm ordinances, transfer or purchase of development rights programs, farmland mitigation requirements, and cluster or conservation development regulations.

Why are conservation easements bad?

Most conservation easement transactions are good. Important land is protected, and a fair deduction is taken. The principal reasons for bad conservation easement transactions are incorrect, inflated or fraudulent appraisals that create incorrect, inflated or fraudulent income tax deductions.

What does land in conservation mean?

Land conservation refers to various methods of preserving land, and ensuring it is protected forever from development. There are a variety of ways that this type of conservation takes place, and a wide variety of nonprofit organizations, as well as governmental agencies, working around the world with this goal in mind.

How can we protect agricultural land?

Avoid mechanical soil disturbance to the extent possible. Avoid soil compaction beyond the elasticity of the soil. Maintain or improve soil organic matter during rotations until reaching an equilibrium level. Maintain organic cover through crop residues and cover crops to minimize erosion loss by wind and/or water.

Which law established the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program?

Agricultural Act of 2014
NRCS published an interim rule, with request for comments, on February 27, 2015, to implement the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) that was authorized by the Agricultural Act of 2014.

Can you build a house on conservation land in Georgia?

Yes, any family member which is related to the original covenant holder, at least to the fourth degree of civil reckoning, can build a home and live on the land (up to 5 acres) enrolled in a Conservation Use Covenant, without penalty during the life of the original covenant.