RANCHING Business
It’s a perfect fi t. According to Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s
website, “The Texas Farm and Ranch Lands Conservation Program com- plements Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s mission to conserve natural resources by protecting working lands from fragmentation and development. The program maintains and enhances the ecological and agricultural productivity of these lands through agricultural conserva- tion easements.” The program supports responsible stewardship and conservation of
working lands, water, fi sh and wildlife, and agricultural production through: • Generating interest and awareness in easement programs and other options for conserving working lands
• Leveraging available monies to fund as many high-quality projects as possible
• Highlighting the ecological and economic value of working lands and the opportunities to conserve working lands for the future Fitzsimons says the program would especially be of interest to landown-
ers whose land is not providing enough income to qualify it for a donated conservation easement. “This is an alternative where they can get paid for the value of their
conservation easement,” she says. Additionally, Fitzsimons says, anyone whose farm or ranch land has
signifi cant water resources should look into the program. That’s because the legislature showed so much interest in conserving working lands where the rain falls, that the program received a $2 million appropria- tion last session. She says that from the beginning, those involved with creating the
program have worked hard to make sure it would serve farmers and ranchers well. “There’s no question — priority was always to conserve and protect
productive agricultural lands,” she says. “To have a program that was ad- ministered in a way that did not interfere with the ability to run a farm or a ranch. That’s why the steering committee included leaders from Cattle Raisers as well as representatives from Texas Farm Bureau and Texas Wildlife Association.”
Another tool in the box Carter Smith, who serves as the executive director of the Texas Parks
and Wildlife Department, says the program is a tool ranchers can use to try to keep their lands in the family. “It’s by no means the only one, but it’s certainly an important tool for
ranchers who are thinking about how to effectively pass along their fam- ily ranch or ranches to future generations. At the very least, I think it’s important to be aware of the option, particularly given the income tax and estate tax planning-related considerations,” he says. Smith adds he sees it as a “very positive step forward” that the state is
able to offer such a program, partnering with landowners to help them protect their heritage. “This is one of these rare programs that hit the bulls-eye on a number of important statewide priorities,” Smith says. “That’s true whether we’re
112 The Cattleman October 2016
thecattlemanmagazine.com
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