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Indiana committee hears bill to let landowners donate agricultural conservation easements
Summary
The House Agriculture Committee heard testimony on House Bill 1234, which would create a voluntary framework for farmland owners to donate or bequeath conservation easements to preserve agricultural use. Supporters said the measure would enable landowners to access federal matching funds; the committee voted to pass the bill as amended.
Members of the Indiana House Agriculture Committee heard testimony on House Bill 1234 on the creation of a voluntary agricultural conservation easement program that would allow landowners to donate or bequeath easements to preserve farmland for agricultural use.
Representative Ryan Culp (author) told the committee the bill “creates a framework for willing farmland owners to donate their conservation easements” and emphasized that the proposal asks for no state appropriation to purchase easements.
The nut of the proposal is to establish an Ag Conservation Easement Fund and permit the Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) or existing local land trusts to accept donated easements. Proponents said the measure would make landowners eligible to pursue federal funds, including programs administered through the…
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