[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6384342,"mediaKeyId","2122711-82beed429dcb491fb7523aa835aa2d87","parentId",2122711,"title","UDAF expands easement staff, launches loan option for transaction costs as LeRay McAllister funding remains constrained","audioSeconds",2614,"startMs",2940000,"endMs",5554000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2122711-82beed429dcb491fb7523aa835aa2d87&start=2940&end=5554","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2122711-82beed429dcb491fb7523aa835aa2d87/thumbnail_2940000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6384342/Utah/UDAF-expands-easement-staff-launches-loan-option-for-transaction-costs-as-LeRay-McAllister-funding-remains-constrained","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6384342-70bd9a0920dace82328f4d049d8380e7/orig.mp4?Expires=1777341342&Signature=CVHEGkr58Em4m5g-UnTIlypOtdgdhtccphVzH1OxKdvRcdma4DmGOw1K8L1mmFvpxEahOOGPYsWmxO4eAg5nzTr~kVefe0CDgR8HvNy5S1QS189q2ti3fJhdppCvi7Kmhfm5~MXRaS-SUbp1xSxOqY6ytrjKlzPVJxPjrfIOfSUHh5aBFHmiCXS0IwBElli5QcdEaZ0Q15b5ZJx2DiTpDxEadqjqQtNHEXswNh8YtFKdVCzkuCQlqq8M1uzv3wgw0jDhc13dzDnzh5We9u6-gIEHpoamk5lQF8j~4mply21o5o~3JifY6mqsiVYG6ypDUpVRQ3B4RjbD2k0Hr8fPhw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-01-16T22:28:26Z","article","The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food reported staff and program changes intended to speed conservation-easement delivery while acknowledging a shortfall in one large fund request.

Jeremy (UDAF) introduced recent hires: Jason Blough as easement stewardship coordinator, Trevor Adkins as an assistant attorney general supporting easement work, planners Katie Acree and John Kurica (already on staff), and a third planner, Michael Plendling, who is to start at month end. UDAF said the additional staffing is meant to address capacity constraints that slow project development.

Jeremy and other UDAF speakers described a recent closing on the Horton property, a roughly 24-acre easement near Utah Lake that combined funding from LeRay McAllister grants (about $472,000 across two grants), $250,000 from an endangered-species mitigation fund, and a significant landowner donation to reach a package value just under $1,000,000.

The agency said its $25,000,000 RCPP proposal was not selected, and that LeRay McAllister funding did not appear in the governor's budget this cycle. UDAF staff said legislative avenues and RFAs remain priorities to pursue funding; they also asked partners to be prepared for outreach during committee hearings and caucus opportunities.

In a program change with operational impact, UDAF said it created a subprogram within its Agricultural Resource Development Loan (ARDL) program that will provide short-term, low- or no-interest loans — up to a line of credit of about $40,000 — to cover easement transaction costs (appraisals, title work, legal fees, environmental consultants). The loans are payable at closing with a small administrative fee and no interest; if a transaction fails to close borrowers may be given a short repayment window or a low-rate payment plan.

Other operational notes: UDAF will host Land Board discussions (meeting scheduled Feb. 25) to set priorities for LeRay McAllister grants and expects the usual summer application timeline for the fund; the agency also said it will continue using Submittable for easement applications and will refine that process based on user feedback.

Why it matters: lack of funding and limited staff capacity are primary bottlenecks for conservation easements. The new loan subprogram and added staff aim to reduce transaction delays and help landowners cover upfront costs, potentially increasing the number of deals that can close.

Ending: UDAF asked partners to engage in upcoming outreach and to coordinate on applications and testimony as LeRay McAllister and other state funding threads move through the legislative process.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","UDAF Land Conservation Roundtable - January, 16 2025","oneSentenceSummary","UDAF announced new hires to increase easement stewardship and planning capacity, described a recently closed Horton easement near Utah Lake, said its $25 million RCPP proposal was not selected, and unveiled a subprogram to provide up to $40,000 in low-cost loans to cover easement transaction costs.","taxTitle","Utah Department of Agriculture, Utah Government Divisions, Utah Legislative Branch, Utah","taxId",75984,"location","Utah","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6384349,"NRCS: Utah allotted $8M for conservation programs; easement pipeline faces FSA eligibility hurdles",788,2032000,2820000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2122711-82beed429dcb491fb7523aa835aa2d87&start=2032&end=2820","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2122711-82beed429dcb491fb7523aa835aa2d87/thumbnail_2032000.jpg","/articles/6384349/Utah/NRCS-Utah-allotted-8M-for-conservation-programs-easement-pipeline-faces-FSA-eligibility-hurdles","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6384349-4671c1e9bd4667891719a2acd0b267e2/orig.mp4?Expires=1777341342&Signature=UBm~qsiYaBof0KKOGn5o7Pnk8XTqLsFRv~flivcyKBXCDqS7PDt7IpjkkJukzxOy5e5vsB2zczbQxjp~foZvuYsfs69vjuXvp5f-n~8TZNjuBz-Ck~Vw6-~0k3K-iMPVmwZUZYf82KR8GbilzwEEE39HrQoo1crKGzvzadsVNDT8bgppRRqDmj9esK~5Elj2~aw6sBW9A-OFg4MHlwcnu5usySye7gAt~6DtdGJd8H7f6tO8PVMFcKcqD7EG66f1FyMM4~CIxlj9ADrvjdXkJCbllk57laheoyuJBNnIZNAtMkkxB1DGYa88pIcEAyAxWJ6fdqcT92d~bwO-PRb2mg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Scott (NRCS) told the roundtable that Utah had been allocated about $8,000,000 across IRA and farm-bill-related pools for conservation projects and that the agency is working through a heavy application load.

\"This winter has been very busy. We received up to upwards of 26, ASAP applications,\" Scott said, and added that NRCS had received multiple RCPP applications and had selected five projects against the state's general allocation plus one IRA project so far.

He said the state allocation of roughly $8,000,000 was split approximately $4,000,000 from IRA and $4,000,000 from the Farm Bill pool, but that funds are already constrained. NRCS has submitted requests for additional funding and plans a second request round with a May 1 deadline after an initial February 1 submission. Scott listed three larger single-project requests (around $8,000,000, $5,000,000 and $1,200,000) under consideration for supplemental funding.

Scott described a recurring administrative hurdle: landowner eligibility paperwork that must be current in Farm Service Agency records. He said RCPP-related easements must be \"in a compliance status\" before NRCS will execute contracts; other programs allow file status through certain steps but require compliance before payment. Scott proposed a training for FSA field-office staff to reduce confusion about differing program requirements and shelf life for AGI/IRS documentation.

The NRCS speaker also reported the team was close to closing three more easements and expected one to close by the end of the month and others by March, while noting multiple dates and administrative review steps can slow timelines.

Why it matters: funding allocations, program eligibility and document-shelf-life rules materially affect whether conservation easements move from agreement to closing and how many projects can be supported by federal funds.

Ending: Scott said NRCS will pursue additional funds and set up FSA training and that partners should be prepared to manage documentation timelines to avoid delays in contract execution.","NRCS staff reported a state allocation of about $8 million (split between IRA and farm-bill-related pools), a high volume of ASAP and RCPP applications, and recurring problems with Farm Service Agency eligibility and document shelf life that are delaying easement closings.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6384354,"Great Salt Lake Sentinel Landscape coordinator reports early easement wins, federal funding bids",1132,733000,1865000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2122711-82beed429dcb491fb7523aa835aa2d87&start=733&end=1865","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2122711-82beed429dcb491fb7523aa835aa2d87/thumbnail_733000.jpg","/articles/6384354/Utah/Great-Salt-Lake-Sentinel-Landscape-coordinator-reports-early-easement-wins-federal-funding-bids","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6384354-30c618c719d32ed8bc30f32e0e9b80d7/orig.mp4?Expires=1777341342&Signature=gqu3uHL5HO3HqTnxyd0mHdsxhYAbWawQ25XE6qvYDJ4ahS7BP5kQJJkRIibwqQePpQH72nMxsMIhebRsi~lgZ9rJAeLr36malIc5wLR99aG~z3iKAg57hRz1rv3ri4vT8Yqh6YbdiTpXMI9ubplJDfRTUIHK5~NYrPLVVjBeo9CDc5wHo6tPn4TxJOBCwwIBCMmSKvwSq5sAHe8sGmWhD~5GhJH93M8Jy36KAPIH0Ftc6c-vBIgmsDFeFhEyvnuMGext-B414eWssHpdv2auzMogVDxX4QEVq6H07vTIL~fCnQnIehJTys75craoAdYCXAGNZVh2SGg1c0-B1aypaw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Marissa (program manager/coordinator for the Great Salt Lake Sentinel Landscape) briefed the roundtable on partnership-building and early conservation gains for the Sentinel Landscape.

She said Hill Air Force Base and partners closed a permanent agricultural conservation easement last fall on a critical parcel near the south end of Hill's accident potential zone; the project was funded in partnership with REPI (Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration), NRCS and the Compatible Lands Foundation and carried a reported value of about $6,000,000.

\"This was a $6,000,000 project, that was in partnership with REPI, NRCS, and the Compatible Lands Foundation,\" Marissa said, and added that two additional easements adjacent to the base are currently in development.

Marissa said the Sentinel Landscape was awarded a REPI Challenge grant for Hill Air Force Base in fiscal 2024 — $150,000 to support an off-base water-resilience study that will tie to on-base conservation and readiness needs. She said the study will evaluate off-base water supplies, tie those supplies to on-base water use, and identify future funding pathways (for example FEMA or NRCS) to support on-the-ground resilience measures.

The coordinator described ongoing outreach with other installations, including Camp Williams and Tooele Army Depot. She said Camp Williams has a long-established easement program and is targeting about 11,300 acres for conservation; Camp Williams has roughly 4,145 acres already encumbered and has received more than $90,000,000 in federal, state and partner contributions since about 2015.

Marissa said the Sentinel Landscape team is pursuing a bill to codify the Great Salt Lake Sentinel Landscape into state law in order to formalize partnership roles and authorities; she said a sponsor has been identified but did not name the legislator.

The coordinator also reported outreach to several potential funders and partners, including the Foundation for America's Public Lands (a BLM-associated funder) for projects aimed at mule-deer migration corridors adjacent to Camp Williams, and ongoing conversations about an application for a Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) grant with NRCS. She said the Sentinel Landscape has added new federal partners (FEMA, Army Corps of Engineers) and nonprofits (Audubon, Utah Lake Authority) to its consortium in Q1.

Why it matters: the Sentinel Landscape program pairs conservation and military-readiness priorities. Easements adjacent to installations protect training ranges and help secure habitat, water and agricultural lands that buffer encroachment on military operations.

Ending: Marissa said an implementation plan and a third-party synthesis are planned for completion by the end of the year, and she asked partners to stay engaged on matching-fund needs for incoming federal awards.","The newly hired Sentinel Landscape coordinator described recent conservation easements near Hill Air Force Base and Camp Williams, REPI and REPI-challenge awards, pending state legislation to codify the Sentinel Landscape, and potential federal grant opportunities for mule-deer corridor work.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6384359,"Utah agriculture agency outlines bills to watch in upcoming legislative session",568,114000,682000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2122711-82beed429dcb491fb7523aa835aa2d87&start=114&end=682","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2122711-82beed429dcb491fb7523aa835aa2d87/thumbnail_114000.jpg","/articles/6384359/Utah/Utah-agriculture-agency-outlines-bills-to-watch-in-upcoming-legislative-session","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6384359-9403774d512da879bbdbb5cc38525b46/orig.mp4?Expires=1777341342&Signature=guePy0h~TbbtjymSwd3h2iuZuGSaLfPYxMl3XA7AENKqTi8Z5Eo0h1QDKKoOxPyzYFwl5VvjqHgQGAGf7TC8M0Df3p6JTnJGVriK353FUAaPAHSdgG7R1pyEClkYaLfZMdbclNUV0jD8pKKt-a9KaDlkJn5T35ZKX1Ra8nC~7YgZLe8gAw2hPbq27xqw5yz3PrUqFF~7yiPFO8l~tBFlySEKDMozMsZsG3TuhI8aBMSwbBKWQWM4YSt4VykayvNb5cYNYvvm4jWo-cdXIbZOUYE40ljP6Pj2OZXlds5yuB7wzTv1U5q6N0tLJoAGFzA92Aih2jPoOmSb4MBoOE-79w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Amber Brown, legislative affairs director at the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, briefed a departmental roundtable on a slate of bills the agency is watching for the upcoming legislative session.

\"I think we have bills that are getting numbered, like, fast and furious, probably, 400 numbered already, which is a little bit crazy to me,\" Brown said, opening her rundown of measures the agency has been tracking.

Brown listed a series of House and Senate bills that UDAF staff have reviewed or helped draft. Among those she named: HB 41 (water policy amendments that would add monitoring of critical watersheds and provisions for water reuse); HB 45 (irrigation amendments dealing with canal operators and recovery of damages); HB 47 (livestock watering rights and repeal of livestock water use certificates, plus procedures tied to Public Water Reserve No. 7 claims); HB 54 (changes to the hemp program supported by UDAF); HB 84 (vaccine amendments that would classify food containing vaccine material as a drug; UDAF said it is neutral and does not expect the change to apply to vaccinated meat); HB 94 (exemptions from dangerous-weapon provisions for farm custom slaughter licensees, supported by UDAF); HB 138 (food-labeling changes to require lab-grown meat be labeled); and HB 194 (beekeeping and veterinary-client-patient-relationship provisions that would let UDAF veterinarians prescribe needed medications for bee health).

Brown also described larger cannabis bills (including one she identified as H.B. 2203) and Senate measures such as SB 28 (extending the Livestock Brand Board sunset to 2034) and SB 64 (medical cannabis amendments). She said UDAF plans to run an annual cleanup bill to make small, non-substantive statutory updates and to reframe certain terms in code (for example, replacing the word \"fertilizer\" with \"plant food\" to better encompass biostimulants and similar products).

On conservation- and easement-related provisions, Brown said UDAF seeks flexibility to use funds that support agricultural conservation easement monitoring and enforcement by changing an account to an expendable special revenue fund rather than a restricted account. She also listed technical and programmatic changes being pursued for veterinary loan repayment eligibility, predator control fee dates aligned to the fiscal year, and allowing 10-year brand registrations as an option for livestock branding.

Brown flagged three recurring themes for UDAF this session: (1) ongoing water-related bills and water-optimization cost-share adjustments (she said language would allow up to a 75% state cost share for measurement, telemetry and reporting); (2) several cannabis-related bills that would affect UDAF programs and for which the department is coordinating requested changes; and (3) interest in a bill to make a pollinator program permanent (sponsored by Representative Matthews) and a still-unsettled raw-milk/permit-transparency proposal that may return after language concerns.

Why it matters: the bills Brown described affect how the department regulates hemp and livestock, how water and conservation funds can be spent, and the operational rules for small agricultural businesses such as farm custom slaughter licensees — all areas that can shape agricultural operations statewide.

Brown said UDAF maintains a bill tracker and offered to share the tracker with partners who want regular updates.

Ending: Brown closed by noting she would keep working with sponsors and the State Engineer where bills intersect with water rights and that UDAF would circulate numbered-bill lists to interested partners.","Amber Brown, legislative affairs director at the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, summarized dozens of bills tied to water, livestock, hemp, vaccines and animal health that UDAF is tracking for the forthcoming legislative session.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

UDAF expands easement staff, launches loan option for transaction costs as LeRay McAllister funding remains constrained

NRCS: Utah allotted $8M for conservation programs; easement pipeline faces FSA eligibility hurdles

Great Salt Lake Sentinel Landscape coordinator reports early easement wins, federal funding bids

Utah agriculture agency outlines bills to watch in upcoming legislative session