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Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program - Farmland Protection
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Program level:
State
Provider:
Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO)
Benefits provided:
Financial
Land use:
Agriculture
Water-focused program:
No
Funding to acquire perpetual conservation easements to conserve farms, agricultural, and range lands. Land Trust or Conservation Commission must be the program applicant.
Overview
Description:
The farmland preservation grant program provides funding to buy development rights on farmlands to ensure they remain available for farming in the future. Grant recipients also may use some of the funding to restore natural functions to improve the land's viability for farming.
The program is part of the larger Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program, which was created in 1990 to buy land for outdoor recreation and wildlife conservation, to keep pace with a growing population. In 2005, the state Legislature expanded the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program to include preservation of significant farmland.
This grant requires a 25-year commitment to the conservation project contract.
A 50 percent match is required, except for the state Conservation Commission, which has no match. Match may include the following:
- Appropriations or cash
- Bonds
- Donations of cash, land, labor, equipment, and materials
- Other grants
- Applicant’s labor, equipment, and materials
Eligibility:
City, County, Land Trust or Conservation Commission must be the applicant.
Land acquisition through easements and leases (required for all projects). Public access is not required.
Enhancement or restoration, such as installing fences to keep livestock out of streams, replanting riverbanks, restoring historic water runoff patterns, improving irrigation, and installing solar well pumps. These activities must further the ecological functions of the farmland.
Combination of land acquisition and either restoration or enhancement
Stewardship plans
Ineligible Projects include:
- Acquisition of rights for less than twenty-five years, of land already owned by the government, or of property acquired via a condemnation
- Consumable supplies such as fuel, fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides, except as a one-time application in an otherwise eligible restoration activity
- Elements that cannot be defined as fixtures or capital items
- Environmental cleanup of illegal activities, such as meth labs
- Indoor facilities
- Organizational operating expenses or overhead
- Purchase of maintenance equipment, tools, or supplies
- Restoration work done before a grant agreement is signed
- Transfer of development rights
Financial benefit:
No grant limits, except for the following:
- Enhancement and restoration elements may not exceed more than half of the total acquisition costs, including match toward acquisition.
- Farm stewardship plans may not exceed $10,000.
Contact information
Information last updated on July 15, 2025.
Planning Importance
Developing a forest, agricultural, or conservation plan helps identify and prioritize objectives for landowners. These objectives can determine what type programs to search for. Supporting organizations in your area often provide free consultation and planning.
Landscape Characteristics
See how your land fits into the broader context of regional conservation, ecosystem services, and working lands' values across the landscape through our interactive mapper tool. It could help you determine which program is a good fit for you!
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