Pitfalls of Ag Conservation Easements

I'm Susan Allen with Washington Ag Today with Part two of Conservation easements. Yesterday we talked about the benefits today the pitfalls, and they typically involve the agency you select. For farmers and ranchers who may be considering entering in to conservation easements, choose your partners wisely is the advice of Colorado Cattlemen's Agricultural Land Trust Executive Director Erik Glenn. He says it's very important to do due diligence on prospective conservations partners.

Glenn: "Talking to folks who have been going through this process to see what their experience has been — both with their governmental agency partner or land trust and also with the contractors they use. Then it is also talking to either that land trust or agency that you are working with to do the easement and asking them, 'Who are the partner or contractors you suggest?' Most states will have a trade association for land trusts. In Colorado we have the Colorado Coalition of Land Trusts. They will have a list of folks that are known entities that do good work; that their work has been accepted both by the IRS and by the state taxing division or the state agency that regulates conservation easements. They can provide folks with a list of viable and appropriate contractors as well."

Picking the right partners are critical especially with the entity that holds the conservation easement because you will be taking that partner on for perpetuity — so your children and grandchildren will also being work with that entity. Susan Allen with Washington Ag Today.