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Bill to Limit Conservation District Land Purchases Draws Strong Opposition from Districts and Regional Partners
Summary
House Bill 2,154 would bar conservation districts from acquiring agricultural parcels of 20 acres or more and require statewide inventories; supporters say it protects generational farmers, while conservation districts and regional partners warn it would remove a tool to preserve farmland and help new farmers access land.
Representative Janice Saan, presiding over the House Local Government Committee, opened the public hearing on House Bill 2,154, which would prohibit conservation districts from purchasing or acquiring interests in real property of 20 acres or larger that were actively used for agricultural production prior to acquisition and require districts to inventory large agricultural holdings and post them via the Department of Agriculture.
Kellen Wright, staff to the committee, told members the measure would require each conservation district to report legal descriptions, water rights and recent crops for properties identified, and that inventories would be posted by the Department of Agriculture. "The bill before you is House Bill 2,154, an act relating to land…
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