What is a conservation plan?
A conservation plan is a document that describes your land, your goals, the natural resource concerns on the property, and the practices you will use to address them, with a schedule. It can be simple for a few acres or detailed for a large operation.
Having a plan keeps you from jumping at the first idea. It also helps with program applications, since many agencies ask for one.
A plan is a living tool and not a legal contract by itself. You can change it as you learn, though any program contract that follows has its own terms to respect.
- Your goals in writing
- A map and soil information
- A short list of problems
- A list of practices ranked by benefit
How do I set goals?
Start with what you want from the land: income, grazing, wildlife, privacy, recreation, a home for the family, or a mix. Write down what you want in the next year, in five years and in twenty. Include what you do not want.
Talk it over with everyone who shares the land. Plans fail when partners have different pictures of the future.
Walk your property with your goals in mind before the planner arrives, and write down the three problems that bother you most. Planners can start with what matters to you. Include the history of the land if you know it: old drainage work, past fires, former uses and anything a neighbor remembers. History often explains problems that seem puzzling.
What should I inventory?
Collect maps, aerial photos, soil information, a list of buildings, fences, water sources, wet areas, woods, fields and wildlife seen. Note problems like erosion, weeds, drainage and areas that do not produce well.
Soil survey information and aerial imagery are available from federal and state agencies, often free. Your NRCS office can help you find them.
If you rent land or share it with others, check what the lease or agreement allows before you plan practices that change the land or last many years.
- A map with boundaries and fences
- Soil types and drainage notes
- Water: wells, ponds, streams and wet areas
- Habitat: woods, fields, edges and wildlife
- Problems: erosion, weeds, brush, wear
How do I choose practices?
Match each concern to a practice that fits your goals and budget: cover for bare ground, fence to control grazing, buffer strips beside water, native plantings for wildlife, brush management for pasture. Ask a planner about options and tradeoffs.
Rank the practices by benefit and cost, and start with the ones that give the most benefit for the least effort. Quick wins keep motivation up.
Be wary of any plan that calls for large changes all at once. Gradual steps spread out the cost and let you learn what the land responds to.
Who can help me write it?
NRCS conservation planners provide free technical assistance to many landowners. Conservation districts, extension offices, state forestry and wildlife agencies, and private consultants can also help. Check credentials and costs if you hire a private planner.
Ask what planning help is available at no cost before paying anyone. This site does not recommend specific consultants or companies.
Bring your plan to any program meeting. Staff can often turn a clear, written plan into an application faster than they can build one from scratch.
How do I schedule and pay for it?
Break the plan into yearly steps and attach a month to each. Estimate costs and your own time. Look for cost-share and technical help that can support each step, and talk with a financial professional about larger commitments.
Do not start work that you hope to be reimbursed for before you know the program rules. Starting early can make a practice ineligible.
- Estimate your own time as well as cash
- Match each step to a month
- Ask which steps may have cost-share
- Check program rules before starting
How do I keep the plan alive?
Review it every year, update it when the land or your life changes, and record what you did. Keep copies where family members can find them.
A good plan can be handed to the next generation. It tells them what you learned, what you tried and what you hoped to do.
Store a copy of the plan, maps and photos with your deeds and farm records, and tell family where they are.
Key takeaways
- A plan connects your goals, your land's resources and the practices you choose.
- Inventory maps, soils, water, habitat and problem spots first.
- NRCS planners and conservation districts offer free technical help.
- Rank practices by benefit and cost, and schedule them year by year.
- Do not start work you hope to be reimbursed for before approval.
Sources and further reading
Last reviewed: November 12, 2026. Written by the Rural Farm Life Editorial Team. See our editorial policy.