Impacts of the Federal Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program: An Assessment Based on Interviews with Participating Landowners-Summary of Findings - FIC

We’ve detected that you are using an outdated browser.

Please use a new browser like Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Microsoft Edge to improve your experience.

We’ve detected that you are using an outdated browser.

Publications

Impacts of the Federal Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program: An Assessment Based on Interviews with Participating Landowners–Summary of Findings
To examine the impact of the federal Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP), American Farmland Trust (AFT) initiated a study based on interviews with participating landowners. AFT collaborated with Dr. J. Dixon Esseks at the Center for Great Plains Studies of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
The research shows that the FRPP:
1. Keeps land available for agriculture
  • 96 percent of landowners said that at least some of their protected land was in active agricultural use, and nearly half said that all of their protect land was in production.
  • 70 percent of owners are farmers, and the proportion of producers is higher among those who purchase protected farms.
2. Improves agricultural viability
  • 84 percent of landowners who sold easements invested at least some of the proceeds in their operations or agricultural land.
  • Easement proceeds spent on agricultural purposes tended to be spent locally, bolstering the entire agricultural sector in communities with protected farms.
3. Encourages on-farm conservation
  • 75 percent reported the application of at least one conservation practice.
  • 20 percent used proceeds from the easement sale to install or expand conservation practices.
4. Helps farmers gain access to land
  • 55 percent of landowners who sold easements spent proceeds repaying loans on farm and ranch land they already owned or buying additional agricultural land.
  • 65 percent of landowners who had purchased protected land said the price was lower than comparable unprotected land.
  • 69 percent of the owners with succession plans said the next owner would be a farmer.

 

Publication Name
AFT Publication
Downloadable Documents
Author
Jennifer Dempsey
Publisher
Northampton, MA: American Farmland Trust
Page Numbers
12
Publication Date
August 01, 2013
Publication Type
Reports and Guides
State
National
Keywords
Conservation Easements, Federal Farmland Protection Policies & Programs, Purchase of Agricultural Conservation Easements

Visit American Farmland Trust

Get engaged and receive the information you need right in your inbox.