USDA Awards $10 Million to Protect Central Florida Farmland: Goal to Permanently Protect About 3,500 Acres
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Florida announced in Gainesville on November 3, 2026, that it has awarded $10 million through its Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) to Wildlands Conservation, Inc., for the Lake Wales Ridge Ecosystem project, to expand conservation easement opportunities and provide technical assistance to private landowners in Central Florida. The project area spans several Central Florida counties with a primary focus on Marion, Lake, Polk, and Highlands counties, and the five-year project is scheduled to begin in 2027.
The $10 million federal award will match a similar amount from county and state land protection programs, for over $20 million in combined funding and resources, aiming to permanently protect about 3,500 acres while providing landowners with alternatives to selling their land for development. Juan Hernandez, NRCS State Conservationist for Florida, said the partnership brings together the funding, expertise and local relationships needed to help landowners achieve lasting conservation and keep working lands in agriculture in one of the fastest developing regions of Florida. David Sumpter, Executive Director of Wildlands, said the goal is to sustain the region's agricultural heritage while protecting its wildlife habitat and water resources.
The Lake Wales Ridge is an ancient dune system that supports citrus groves, ranchlands, forests, critical water recharge areas, and globally significant wildlife habitat. Citrus greening and increasing development pressure threaten both the region's agricultural economy and its natural lands. Conservation easements are voluntary legal agreements that permanently limit development while keeping land in private ownership; landowners can continue compatible farming, ranching, forestry, and other uses.
Led by Wildlands Conservation, the partnership includes Polk County through its Polk Forever program, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) through its Rural and Family Lands Protection Program, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Archbold Research Station, and Putnam Land Conservancy. The project area supports the Florida Wildlife Corridor, and an estimated 25 percent of it lies within the Avon Park Air Force Range Sentinel Landscape, where land protection helps preserve compatible uses around military training. Landowners interested in conservation opportunities may contact Wildlands Conservation.
(Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture)
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：佛罗里达州一处柑橘园实景。CC0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: A citrus grove in Florida. CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
