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Committee advances bill to let Hoosier landowners donate conservation easements
Summary
The House Agriculture Committee advanced House Bill 1234, which would create a voluntary framework allowing farmland owners to donate or sell conservation easements to preserve agricultural use. The bill does not request state appropriation; supporters said it would help landowners access federal matching funds.
Representative Culp introduced House Bill 1234 to the Indiana House Agriculture Committee, saying, "I'm pleased to be here today to present to you House Bill 1234," a proposal to create a framework for willing farmland owners to donate conservation easements.
The measure would authorize the Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) to accept and hold agricultural conservation easements, allow counties to establish local easement programs, and make landowners who donate easements eligible to seek federal matching funds. Supporters told the committee the bill requests no state appropriation and is voluntary: landowners would choose whether to place an easement on their property.
The bill's supporters cited the state's inventory of lost farmland. Chris Reynolds, Midwest regional director for…
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