Conservation Easements on the Menu for Area landowners
 | Author:
mt43news staff reporter
Nancy Marks: MT43 News Secretary and News Editor |
Conservation Easements on the Menu for Area Landowners
MT 43 News Staff Reporter
On Tuesday, February 27, over sixty producers from Broadwater and Lewis & Clark Counties joined staff from The Montana Land Reliance (MLR) and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Townsend to discuss agricultural land conservation easement opportunities.
According to the MLR website, owning a farm or ranch includes the rights to do whatever the owner wants. He can subdivide, construct buildings, irrigate, harvest timber, restrict access or sell or lease the ground. When a farmer or rancher enters into a conservation easement with his land, he agrees to keep or give up some of those rights to meet the restrictions of the easement. His advantage is he may reduce his income, estate and gift taxes for putting his land in perpetuity under the easement agreement. Conservation Easements may include passing the ground on to family members.
Linda Davis, whose generational family operates a ranch near Toston, said she and her husband, Bob, attended the workshop to learn about the program. She felt easements were “worth considering” but would be a good deal of work and a lot of time invested to get an easement in place. Bob wondered whether he and his family would want to have another partner such as Montana Land Reliance in his operation. “While the program sounds good now, conservation easement policies may change in the future. I don’t know if I want to saddle my grandkids with that,” he said.
As Broadwater and Lewis & Clark Counties continue to experience rapid population growth, interest in protecting the area's agricultural lands and grasslands is becoming a top priority. Conservation easements are an effective tool in ensuring productive soils and rangelands remain intact and available. The USDA Agricultural Land Easement program, which is administered through a partnership between MLR and Montana NRCS, provides cash payments to landowners interested in conserving their farms and ranches.
"Montana's farming and ranching heritage is at stake as our state rapidly grows, and Broadwater and Lewis & Clark folks are feeling it as much as anyone," noted MLR Managing Director Kendall Van Dyk. "We don't have to leave the future of agriculture up to chance. As an ag-focused land trust, we want producers to know their options, and help them think through whether a conservation easement is right for them.
During the event, MLR and NRCS staff answered questions about conservation easements and provided insight into the application process. A conservation easement is a voluntary agreement between a landowner and a non-profit land trust that places limits on future development. Conservation easements often include language that protects agricultural lands and maintains open space.
Since 1978, MLR has partnered with private landowners in Broadwater and Lewis & Clark Counties to conserve 98,518 acres. For more information about conservation easements in your area please contact The Montana Land Reliance at 406.443.7027 or visit mtlandreliance.org.
Article Images
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PhotoCredit: Nancy Marks
Image 1 Caption: Left to right: Lucinda Morris, Helena; Pattie and Tom Russ, 4-R Ranch and Cattle, Clancy; Katie Munford and Lauren Arnst, Townsend.
Nancy Marks Photo
 conservation Easements Workshop Feb. 27, 2024.JPG)
