New York State Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) - Agricultural Land Easements (ALE) Grant

The New York State Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) offers financial assistance for Agricultural Land Easements (ALE) to protect vital croplands and grasslands. This initiative supports landowners, including American Indian tribes and local governments, in maintaining agricultural land use by limiting non-agricultural development. By preserving these lands, the program ensures food security and promotes environmental quality, while also fostering local partnerships for sustainable land stewardship.

NOTE: NRCS accepts applications year-round. If you apply after the program ranking date, NRCS will automatically consider your application during future funding cycles.To learn about how to apply, contact your local NRCS office.
Agricultural Land Easements (ALE) help private and tribal landowners, land trusts, and other entities such as state and local governments protect croplands and grasslands on working farms and ranches by limiting non-agricultural uses of the land through conservation easements.
Benefits
Agricultural Land Easements protect the long-term viability of the nation’s food supply by preventing conversion of productive working lands to non-agricultural uses. Land protected by agricultural land easements provides additional public benefits, including environmental quality, historic preservation, wildlife habitat and protection of open space. Additionally, ALE easements leverage local partnerships to match NRCS funding and local partners are responsible for the long-term stewardship of the easement.
How does it work?
NRCS provides financial assistance to eligible partners for purchasing Agricultural Land Easements that protect the agricultural use and conservation values of eligible land.
For working farms, the program helps farmers and ranchers keep their land in agriculture. Under the Agricultural Land Easement component, NRCS may contribute up to 50 percent of the fair market value of the agricultural land easement.
The program also protects grazing uses and related conservation values by conserving grassland, including rangeland, pastureland and shrubland. Where NRCS determines that grasslands of special environmental significance will be protected, NRCS may contribute up to 75 percent of the fair market value of the agricultural land easement.
Agricultural Land Easements are permanent or for the maximum term allowed by law.

Eligibility

Who is eligible?Eligible partners include American Indian tribes, state and local governments and non-governmental organizations that have farmland, rangeland or grassland protection programs.
Eligible landowners include owners of privately held land including land that is held by tribes and tribal members.
All landowners, including required members of landowner-legal entities, must meet adjusted gross income (AGI) limitations and must be compliant with the HEL/WC provisions of the Food Security Act of 1985.What land is eligible?Land eligible for agricultural easements includes private or Tribal land that is agricultural land, cropland, rangeland, grassland, pastureland and nonindustrial private forest land. Eligible Land Types and which also meets one of the four following land eligibility criteria:Parcels enrolled to protect Prime, Unique, or Other productive soil.
Parcels enrolled to provide protection of grazing uses and related conservation values.
Parcels containing historical or archeological resources.
Land that furthers a state or local policy consistent with the purposes of ACEP-ALE.