The U.S. Department of Agriculture is offering money to farmers who want to keep their land agricultural or turn flood-prone fields into wetlands. Assistant State Conservationist Paula Hingson says the federal government will pay thousands of dollars per acre for an easement.
The program’s purpose is to preserve farmland and recreate wetlands. The easement prices range from $3,150 per acre for wetland easements in southern Illinois to $7,560 for cropland easements in the Chicago region including LaSalle County. Hingson says interested property owners with at least 20 acres can contact the nearest USDA office.