Farmland conservation easements are voluntary legal agreements that restrict the development and subdivision of land, either as a donation or through monetary compensation, with the goal of preserving land suited for farming.

NYS Farmland Protection Implementation Grants Program – Commonly known as the "Purchase of Development Rights" (PDR) program, New York State has offered Farmland Protection Implementation Grants (FPIG) program since the 1990s for easement projects.   Onondaga County has been an active partner in facilitating farm owner access to the program.

A requirement of the state program, the Schuyler County Agriculture & Farmland Protection Board (AFPB) must endorse a limited number of applications to the state during each funding round.  As interest in the program has increased, the APFB has developed a pre-application process for interested farm owners to identify the most viable and competitive lands to receive endorsement and undertake the full state application process.