2026 Agricultural Conservation Easement Sponsorship Application Window

2026 Agricultural Conservation Easement Sponsorship Application Window is sponsored by Washington State Conservation Commission (SCC). This program offers funding for conservation districts to prepare and apply for farmland protection funding through agricultural conservation easements.

Agricultural Conservation Easement Sponsorship (ACES) It's conservation district election time! Click here to learn how you can vote in your CD. Conservation District Resources Agricultural Conservation Easement Sponsorship (ACES) Conservation districts are encouraged to consult with the Office of Farmland Preservation staff to gain a better understanding of what will be expected of them in project development and implementation.

Update: 2026 Application Period is Closed Application window closed on February 2, 2026. The next application window is expected to open November 2027. Applications will be due February 2028.

Awards expected in September 2029. Project starts after grant agreement; easement acquisition typically within 2-3 years.

Through the Agricultural Conservation Easement Sponsorship Program (ACES), the Office of Farmland Preservation partners with conservation districts to provide a pathway for districts to access grants made available by the Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO), Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program (WWRP) to permanently protect farmland in their district.

All projects facilitated through this program are for permanent agricultural conservation easements that are developed and implemented in partnership with local conservation districts. The Office of Farmland Preservation (OFP) is housed within the SCC and is responsible for activities identified in the OFP statute, RCW 89. 10.

SCC has identified agricultural conservation easements as an important tool to assist in farmland protection and advancing conservation with willing landowners. RCW 64. 04.

130 authorizes SCC to acquire and hold an interest in land for farmland conservation purposes. SCC works with conservation districts to identify and, where appropriate, seek funding to purchase development rights on farmland conveyed as an “agricultural conservation easement.

” Agricultural easements prevent conversion of agricultural land into non-agricultural uses through a restriction of certain real property rights, including the right to subdivide and develop. SCC is an eligible applicant to the Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO), Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program (WWRP) Farmland category, RCW 79A. 15.

Conservation districts are not eligible applicants . Eligible lands for the easement program must be devoted primarily to the production of livestock or agricultural commodities for commercial purposes. If SCC successfully purchases an agricultural conservation easement through WWRP funding, the SCC assumes the legal liability as the primary holder of the real property right.

SCC’s three priorities for consideration of an agricultural conservation easement are: The parcel proposed for preservation is expected to continue to be used for, and is large enough to sustain, commercial agricultural production.

The land is also in an area that possesses the necessary market, infrastructure, agricultural support services, and the surrounding parcel sizes and land uses that will support long-term commercial agricultural production. Without preservation, the land proposed for protection is likely to be converted to nonagricultural use in the foreseeable future.

2026 Agricultural Conservation Easement Sponsorship Application Window Now Open Public Comment is open for the Grants & Contracts Manual Do you have comments on our updated program guidelines and Grant Manual? Office of Farmland Preservation Coordinator Office of Farmland Preservation Specialist Check back later for releases about this program 2026 Application Period is Closed The next application window will begin in late 2027.

If you are interested in the program, reach out to Paul D’Agnolo ( pdagnolo@scc. wa. gov ) to schedule a time to talk more about the program and what resources OFP can provide to help develop projects.

Find videos and trainings from this program. Success Stories from this Grant Program Check back soon for more stories.