UDAF Announces $1 Million in Funding Available to Permanently Protect Utah’s Working Farms and Ranches

As Utah’s agricultural lands face increasing development pressure, the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF) is announcing $1 million in funding to permanently protect working farms and ranches through conservation easements under the 2025 LeRay McAllister Working Farm and Ranch Fund.

Administered by UDAF, the LeRay McAllister Fund helps preserve working farms and ranches that are vital to Utah’s economy, food security, and rural heritage. Through strategic partnerships with landowners, land trusts, local governments, and other entities, the fund enables long-term conservation of Utah’s most productive and threatened agricultural lands.

Since 1999, over 68,855 acres of working farmland have been placed into conservation easements with funding from the LeRay McAllister Program to keep this agricultural land in operation forever. In past years, the fund has helped preserve iconic family farms in Cache Valley, ranchlands in Sanpete County, and beyond, protecting both natural resources, local food security, and rural livelihoods.