Farmers can be paid for a guarantee that their farms never become subdivisions or factory sites and for flood-prone land being turned into wetlands. Assistant State Conservationist Paula Hingson says the U.S. Department of Agriculture will pay thousands of dollars per acre for an easement.

The program’s purpose is to preserve farmland against urban sprawl and recreate wetlands for migrating waterfowl. The easement prices range from $3,150 per acre for wetland easements in southern Illinois to $7,560 for cropland easements in the Chicago region. Hingson says interested property owners with at least 20 acres can contact the nearest USDA office.