Landowners across the nation are helping to restore wetlands and protect vital agricultural lands. Wetlands improve water quality downstream, protect nearby towns from flooding, enhance and protect wildlife habitat and provide outdoor recreational and educational opportunities. Wetland easements are just one type of easement offered by the farm bill. Expanding development and population pressures pose a threat to keeping farmland in agricultural production. To address this threat, NRCS offers easements to agricultural producers to protect working croplands and grasslands. These easements protect the long-term viability of the nation’s food supply by preventing conversion of productive working lands to non-agricultural uses. They also help keep lands in family hands while providing an enhanced opportunity to keep productive land available for entry into farming through increased availability of affordable land for young, beginning, veteran and under-represented farmers and ranchers. USDA’s Blog takes a look at the success of conservation practices over the last 25 years. Read more…