Preserving Land for Agriculture Now (PLAN)
The Preserving Land for Agriculture Now (PLAN) program helps ensure Tennessee's agricultural and forest lands remain open and productive for future generations to work and enjoy. The program supports the permanent conservation of working lands through perpetual conservation easements.
PLAN is intended to preserve land for agricultural and forestry use while allowing continued farming and forestry activities consistent with program requirements. The program provides funding for a portion of the value of a conservation easement, along with certain eligible costs associated with enrolling the easement.
Applications to the PLAN program must be submitted jointly by all parcel owners and a qualified easement holder. Eligible parcels must meet minimum program requirements, and applications will be reviewed through a competitive process using the program’s selection criteria.
PLAN helps conserve working lands, support Tennessee agriculture and forestry, and maintain the long-term viability of productive land across the state.
The first PLAN application period will open on September 1, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Central Time. The deadline to submit an application will be January 8, 2027 at 11:59 p.m. Central Time.
Eligible Land Types
Agricultural Land
- Parcels with less than 75% forest cover that meet at least one of the program’s listed agricultural land conditions, such as agricultural zoning, farm property classification, or Greenbelt agricultural classification.
Forest Land
- Parcels with at least 75% forest cover. Forest land applications must also meet additional requirements, including a qualifying multi-resource management plan approved by the state forester within the required timeframe.
Funding Limits
Minimum payout: No minimum award is specified in program rules.
Maximum payout: Funding limits vary by application period. For any application period, the department sets an application-period funding limit, limits easement purchase funds to 92% of that limit, and limits ancillary-cost funds to 8% of that limit.
- A single application may receive no more than 30% of the total easement purchase funds available for that application period.
- Per application, ancillary costs are capped at the lesser of:
- the total ancillary cost pool divided by the number of selected applications, or one-fifteenth of the total ancillary cost pool.
- one-fifteenth of the total ancillary cost pool.
- All stewardship fees are capped at 10% of the per-application ancillary cost limit.