NRCS Announces $6.4M Grant to Fund Easements

RICHMOND — The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service has announced a $6.4 million grant to the Alliance for the Shenandoah Valley for the primary purpose of funding conservation easements on family farms in Virginia’s most productive agricultural region.

The grant is part of a national NRCS outlay of $325 million, which will fund 42 projects during Fiscal Year 2027 under terms of the agency’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP).

The Alliance, which has its home office in New Market, is a nonprofit dedicated to “protecting the rural character, scenic beauty, clean water, and vibrant communities of the Shenandoah Valley.”  It’s active in six Valley counties — Augusta, Frederick, Page, Rockingham, Shenandoah and Warren.

In its application, the Alliance noted that the counties in its service area contain only 10.2 percent of Virginia’s farmland but produce 38.9 percent of the state’s agricultural sales. 

The largest part of this year’s RCPP grant — $5 million — will be used for direct payments to farmers for the purchase of agricultural conservation easements on their land. Ten farms have been pre-selected by the Alliance for financial aid with another to be announced.

The remainder of the grant will cover technical assistance made available to landowners by the Alliance.

“The Alliance was created in 2018 with the vision of becoming a nonprofit that could facilitate this level of investment in conservation in the Valley,” said Executive Director Kate Wofford. “With this award, we have now secured more than $10 million of NRCS assistance for landowners ready to protect their farmland for future generations. And to be clear — we’re not doing this alone. It’s truly a regional partnership effort and we’re grateful for the USDA and NRCS for their dedication and support.”

Alliance officials used developmental pressure as a criteria for selection, noting that Valley farms are being sold and/or passed on to heirs at an accelerating rate.  According to the Alliance application, Valley farm owners over age 65 outnumber those under age 35 by three to one.

For more information on RCPP and other NRCS programs, contact your local USDA field office.

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