Kane County Farmland Protection Program Expands With More Than 700 Acres
The Kane County Farmland Protection Program is currently acquiring agricultural conservation easements on more than 700 acres of farmland in Virgil, Kaneville and Big Rock townships. These acquisitions will expand the program’s permanently protected land base to more than 6,000 acres. Several landowners participating in these pending acquisitions are second- and third-generation participants in Kane County’s longstanding farmland preservation efforts. The acquisitions will be supported by nearly $900,000 in federal cost-share assistance through the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program – Agricultural Land Easements (ACEP-ALE) and the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP).
Kane County’s program remains a model for farmland preservation as the flagship county-level farmland protection program in Illinois. For more than 25 years, the program has demonstrated how local government can help protect productive farmland through the purchase of agricultural conservation easements, ensuring these lands remain available for agricultural use rather than being converted to nonagricultural development. Preserving farmland is particularly important as development pressures continue to grow throughout the collar counties.
Looking ahead, the program has received expressions of interest from farmland owners representing more than 1,100 additional acres, demonstrating continued demand for farmland protection. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.
The program’s federal partner, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS), has authorized funding through 2031, regardless of the status of a new Farm Bill. The Kane County Farmland Protection Program will continue working to expand its protected acreage with the leadership and support of the Kane County Agriculture Committee, Kane County Board and Kane County Farmland Protection Commission, which authorized the acquisitions currently in progress.
Learn more about the Kane County Farmland Protection program at -https://www.kanecountyil.gov/FDER/Pages/development/farmlandProtection.aspx
