American Farmland Trust (AFT) conducts a nationwide survey of land trusts that protect farmland and ranchland. The survey asks questions about the organization, farm and ranch land protection activity, partnerships with public programs, interest in ACEP-ALE, and any barriers perceived to participating in the federal program. Additional questions ask about staff and board composition, easement provisions, additional activities offered to support agriculture and beginning farmers, and approaches used to encourage adoption of conservation practices. Private land trusts play an increasingly important role in the protection of agricultural land.

With support from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), in 2022 AFT conducted its third nationwide survey of agricultural land trusts. This page includes results from surveys conducted in 2022, 2017 and 2012.