Texas HB2018 amends the Texas Farm and Ranch Lands Conservation Program to prioritize agricultural use potential and conservation.

Texas HB2018 amends the Texas Farm and Ranch Lands Conservation Program by defining "agricultural conservation easement" to include maintaining agricultural use potential and conserving water, wildlife habitat, or water. The council must prioritize applications that protect agricultural use potential and adopt a scoring process for evaluating applications. The scoring process considers landscape integrity, habitat protection, leveraging funds, property proximity to protected lands, easement term, agricultural productivity, and a resource management plan. The act takes effect September 1, 2025.

Texas HB2018 amends the Texas Farm and Ranch Lands Conservation Program to prioritize agricultural use potential and conservation.

Texas HB2018 amends the Texas Farm and Ranch Lands Conservation Program by defining "agricultural conservation easement" to include maintaining agricultural use potential and conserving water, wildlife habitat, or water. The council must prioritize applications that protect agricultural use potential and adopt a scoring process for evaluating applications. The scoring process considers landscape integrity, habitat protection, leveraging funds, property proximity to protected lands, easement term, agricultural productivity, and a resource management plan. The act takes effect September 1, 2025.