RONAN — Montana has more than 3 million acres of land protected by conservation easements.
At their core, these easements protect critical farmland and wildlife habitat from future development, ensuring the land can never be subdivided, developed, or misused to benefit a private party.
“People can’t eat houses, you know, you got to have Ag to produce food for everybody in the world.”
Since the early 1900’s Cody Sherman’s family has been farming here in the Mission Valley.
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Cody and his wife Elizabeth plant corn, hay, alfalfa and run 400 mother cows on their property near Pablo.
“It means a lot to us, we grew up in it, I mean that’s where our heart is, we love the Ag," Cody said.
The Shermans have been friends with Paul and Sharon Guenzler for decades. Meanwhile, the Gunenzler’s run 500 mother cows and 40 broodmare horses on their land just west of Ronan.
“So, I’m the fourth generation, my great-grandparents homesteaded here in 1910.”
Paul loves this land and wants to make sure it's protected from any future development.
“Before long, the way it’s going, it will be all houses and no Ag ground. But this way, we know there will be Ag ground," Paul said.
Collectively, the Sherman and Gunezler families put close to 700 acres of their farmland into conservation easements thanks to a partnership with the Flathead Land Trust.
“These projects have been in the works for a couple of years," said Laura Katzman, who works with landowners to make these easements happen," said Laura Katzman with the Flathead Land Trust.
Landowners agree to not develop — and easements are binding even if the land is sold or passed down to future generations.
“So it’s helping to keep the Mission Valley a special place," Katzman told MTN.
In exchange, landowners receive federal funding from the Natural Resource Conservation Service Agricultural Land Easement program.
“Especially in Montana and places where there’s high development pressure, because these landowners — they are land-rich and a lot of times cash-poor," Katzman noted. "So, having an ability to get some cash for continuing to farm without having to sell off land is really good.”
“And agriculture is not easy in this day and age, and it hasn’t been in my 40 years of doing it, it gives us the opportunity to pay our land off, and be able to keep on going to, and enjoy our last 20 years at doing this," Paul told MTN.
Cody says forever protecting Ag land in Western Montana means everything to his family. It's a win-win not just for him, but for generations to come.
“We want to keep the open space and the Ag for younger youth and we’re very involved in helping the youth get involved in Ag,” Cody said.
