If you own farmland you want to stay farmland forever, or a wet corner you would rather restore than fight, USDA’s Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) can pay you real money to make that permanent. It comes in two tracks that pay very differently: one protects working farmland and pays up to 50% of fair market value, the other restores wetlands and can pay up to 100% of the easement value for a permanent easement.
An easement is a big decision, because you are placing a lasting restriction on the land. This post explains what each track pays, who actually applies, and how the recent NRCS cuts affect the timeline, so you can decide whether it fits.
The two tracks of ACEP
ACEP, run by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), splits into two very different programs:
Agricultural Land Easements (ACEP-ALE) protect working farmland by keeping it in agriculture. The program helps purchase an agricultural land easement, which permanently limits non-agricultural development on the ground while you keep owning and farming it. ALE pays up to 50% of the fair market value of the easement.
Wetland Reserve Easements (ACEP-WRE) restore, protect, and enhance wetlands on eligible land, typically former wetlands that were drained for farming and are marginal to work. For a permanent easement, WRE can pay 100% of the easement value, plus cover a large share of the restoration cost.
The two answer different questions. ALE is “I want this farm to stay a farm after me.” WRE is “this wet ground is a headache to farm and I would rather be paid to restore it.”
How ACEP-ALE works and who applies
Here is the part that surprises people: for ACEP-ALE, you do not apply directly to NRCS as the landowner. ALE works through eligible entities, land trusts and state or local governments, that hold the easement. The entity applies to NRCS, and you, the landowner, work with that entity to place the easement on your ground.
So the practical first step for ALE is finding a land trust or a state or local farmland protection program active in your area and talking to them. NRCS provides the federal share, up to 50% of fair market value, and the entity and other partners handle the rest and hold the easement. You keep title and keep farming, under the easement’s terms.
ALE is ranked through NRCS’s national system. It was included in the national January 15, 2026 batching deadline for fiscal year 2026, and applications are accepted year-round. As of our last verification, no second FY2026 batching date had been announced. We track it on our ACEP-ALE page.
How ACEP-WRE works and who applies
WRE is more direct for landowners. If you own eligible wetland or former wetland areas, you can work with NRCS to enroll them. Enrollment runs on a rolling basis rather than a single hard deadline, so you can start the conversation anytime.
For a permanent wetland easement, WRE can pay 100% of the easement value and cover a large share of the cost to restore the wetland, plant the cover, and put the water back where it wants to be. There are shorter-term easement options too, which pay less. WRE tends to fit marginal, frequently flooded, or already-wet ground far better than trying to keep farming it. We track it on our ACEP-WRE page.
What an easement really means before you sign
We are not going to gloss over this. An easement is a lasting restriction that runs with the land, usually permanent:
- ALE permanently limits non-agricultural development. You can keep farming and can sell the land, but the next owner is bound by the same easement.
- WRE permanently converts the enrolled acres to restored wetland and conservation use. You give up the ability to farm those specific acres.
That permanence is exactly why the payments can be substantial, up to half the farmland’s value for ALE, up to the full easement value for WRE. It is money in exchange for a real, lasting commitment. Think about your heirs, your long-term plans for the ground, and get the terms in writing before you decide. This is a program to go into with eyes open, not a quick cost-share.
The NRCS staffing reality
Both ACEP tracks run through NRCS, which lost about 22% of its workforce through DOGE-driven cuts, and IRA conservation funding was frozen in early 2025. Easement deals are already slow by nature; the staffing cuts make them slower. Start early, expect a long process, and confirm funding availability with your local NRCS office. Not sure where it is? Our guide to finding your local NRCS and FSA office can help.
How ACEP compares to renting your land out
Easements are not the only way to be paid for taking sensitive ground out of hard production. The difference is permanence versus a contract term:
- CRP pays annual rent for 10 to 15 years to rest sensitive land, then you get it back. Our CRP rental rates article explains the annual payments.
- CSP pays annually to run your whole working operation to a higher stewardship standard, without giving anything up permanently. See our CSP payment rates breakdown.
- EQIP pays cost-share to install specific practices while you keep farming, covered in EQIP application and deadlines.
An easement is the permanent end of that spectrum: a one-time payment for a lasting change, rather than annual money for a term. Which fits depends on whether you want the land back and what you want it to be forever.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an ACEP easement pay? ACEP-ALE pays up to 50% of the easement’s fair market value to keep farmland in agriculture. ACEP-WRE can pay up to 100% of the easement value for a permanent wetland easement, plus restoration cost-share.
Do I apply to NRCS directly? For ACEP-ALE, no. You work with an eligible entity, a land trust or a state or local government, that applies and holds the easement. For ACEP-WRE, you can work directly with NRCS to enroll eligible wetland acres.
Is an ACEP easement permanent? Usually yes. ALE permanently restricts non-agricultural development, and WRE offers permanent easements (with shorter-term options that pay less). The restriction runs with the land to future owners.
Can I still farm land under an ACEP-ALE easement? Yes. ALE is designed to keep farmland in farming. You keep title and keep farming; the easement limits non-agricultural development, not agriculture.
How long does the process take? Easements are slow by nature, and NRCS staffing cuts have made them slower. Expect a lengthy process and confirm funding availability with your local NRCS office before counting on it.
The bottom line
ACEP is the program for landowners thinking in decades, not seasons. ALE pays up to half your farmland’s value to keep it a farm forever, and WRE can pay the full easement value to turn troublesome wet ground into restored wetland. The payments are large because the commitment is permanent, so go in informed: for ALE, find a land trust; for WRE, talk to NRCS; and expect a long timeline given the staffing cuts.
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