The Office of Farmland Preservation (OFP), a program within the Washington State Conservation Commission, works to address the rapid loss of working farm and forest lands in our state.
The Washington State Conservation Commission (SCC) has finalized the Farmland Protection and Land Access (FPLA) Program Guidelines.
The Farmland Protection and Land Access (FPLA) program was established via proviso in the Washington State 2022 Supplemental Capital Budget (SSB 5651), Section 3050. FPLA complements the “Buy-Protect-Sell” category of FarmPAI, a program of the Washington State Housing Finance Commission. FPLA serves the dual purpose of permanently protecting high-quality farmland and facilitating access to land for next-generation farmers and ranchers.
FarmPAI provides conservation entities with low-interest loans for the fee-simple acquisition of at-risk farmland. FPLA grants fund the purchase of an agricultural conservation easement. The agricultural conservation easement ensures the land stays open and available for farming in perpetuity. By restricting or removing certain development rights that are incompatible with agriculture, FPLA-funded agricultural conservation easements make farmland more affordable for the future farm owner.
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