The Farmland Protection and Land Access (FPLA) program was established via proviso in the Washington State 2022 Supplemental Capital Budget (SSB 5651), Section 3050. This is a new and ongoing program housed in the Office of Farmland Preservation (OFP).
The FPLA Guidelines are part of the agricultural easement program within OFP and are a tool in helping to create more incentives for agricultural easements. FPLA complements the “Buy-Protect-Sell” category of FarmPAI, a program of the Washington State Housing Finance Commission. FPLA serves the dual purpose of permanently protecting high-quality farmland and facilitating access to land for next-generation farmers and ranchers.
The Washington State Conservation Commission (SCC) is seeking comments from stakeholders on the proposed Farmland Protection and Land Access (FPLA) Program Guidelines.