Land Trust Alliance statement on House Agriculture Committee passage of 2026 House Farm Bill
The Farm Bill has advanced out of the House Agriculture Committee with strong conservation provisions that support private land conservation, including a standalone Forest Conservation Easement Program.
Washington — The Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 passed out of the House Committee on Agriculture on a bipartisan vote, with seven Democrats joining all Republican members in approving the text. The bill now moves to the full House.
The following statement can be attributed to Lori Faeth, senior director of government relations at the Land Trust Alliance:
The Land Trust Alliance commends the House Committee on Agriculture for advancing Farm Bill text that reflects many of the Land Trust Alliance’s highest priorities. Farm Bill conservation programs are the largest single federal source of funding for voluntary private land conservation, and the legislation retains historic investment in the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program and includes provisions that would allow more landowners to participate in ACEP by increasing the federal share to 65% for most transactions. The text recognizes land trusts’ expertise by granting certified land trusts a streamlined path to administer easements and minimize administrative burdens on the Secretary. Together, these and other provisions constitute a huge step toward providing consistency and certainty for landowners to leverage limited agency resources and grant flexibility that allows for the long-term care of easements.
“We applaud the committee's inclusion of a stand-alone Forest Conservation Easement Program with mandatory funding and appreciate the bipartisan support that moved this important measure forward. This program will fill a critical gap in the conservation of working forested lands and help keep them intact and sustainably managed, providing numerous economic and environmental benefits to rural and urban communities.
“The Land Trust Alliance and its member land trusts recognize the importance of the Farm Bill in helping farmers, ranchers and foresters conserve and enhance their working lands, and we look forward to continuing to work with both the House and Senate to pass a bipartisan Farm Bill this year for the benefit of all Americans.
Further reading:
Congress prioritizes parity for forest landowners through easement program
House Agriculture Committee: About the Farm Bill
About the Land Trust Alliance
Founded in 1982, the Land Trust Alliance is a national land conservation organization working to save the places people need and love by empowering and mobilizing land trusts in communities across America to conserve land for the benefit of all. The Alliance represents approximately 1,000 member land trusts and affiliates supported by more than 250,000 volunteers and 6.3 million members nationwide. The Alliance is based in Washington, D.C., with staff working in communities across the U.S.