NRCS Pennsylvania Announces Deadline for Conservation Easement Programs

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Pennsylvania is announcing that the fiscal year (FY) 2026 sign-up deadline for the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) and the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) easements is Nov. 1, 2025.

While applications are accepted on a continuous basis, NRCS utilizes application cutoff periods to assess and rank applications based on their potential conservation impact.

All applications need to be received by Nov. 1, 2025, to be considered for this first round of funding for FY 2026. Applications received after this date will be held and considered for subsequent rounds, as funding permits.

ACEP ALE and RCPP Easements

Landowners that are interested in preserving their farm and forestland through ACEP or RCPP should contact their conservation district, county preservation board or the local land conservancy. Participating land conservancies include - Berks Nature, Clearwater Conservancy, Lancaster Farmland Trust, the Land Conservancy of Adams County, the Lebanon Valley Conservancy and the Manada Conservancy. Landowners that want federally funded conservation easements often have more competitive applications for preservation. Applications are submitted by the partner organization that will become the conservation easement holder.

ACEP WRE Easements

Landowners that want to restore and protect wetlands on prior converted cropland and pasture should apply for the ACEP Wetland Restoration Easements (WRE). NRCS takes applications directly from landowners of eligible lands. Eligible lands should have a history of crop production, contain hydric soils and can be restored to natural wetland conditions. Contact your local NRCS office to learn more about ACEP WRE.

More Information

To participate in USDA conservation easement programs, farm and forest landowners must meet USDA eligibility criteria. To take advantage of NRCS technical assistance or federally funded conservation on your farm or land, please contact your local USDA NRCS Field Office (found at https://http://offices.usda.gov), or visit our website at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/PA for program information.