Conservation program applications up

A large live oak south of Ocala. [Bruce Ackerman file photo]

An increased number of farmers and ranchers have asked for state money to help keep swaths of rural property from development.

The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services announced on Jan. 26 that more than 500 applications were submitted for conservation easements through the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program, which is used to purchase easements that prevent development. Such easements allow continued agricultural uses of the property.

Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson said in a news release that the “record-breaking application cycle” shows farms and ranches in Florida “are under increasing pressure from development.”

The number of applications was up from the 2023 cycle, which drew more than 180 applications involving more than 200,000 acres.

During the past quarter-century, the program has been used to establish easements on about 224,000 acres. More than half of the acquisitions have occurred since 2022.

The 2026 applications collectively would require about $2.1 billion to allow more than 600,000 acres to remain in agricultural use. The budget for the current fiscal year includes $250 million for the program.