LEGACY Program Could Add Ten Thousand Acres of Grassland in North Dakota
State conservation and wildlife officials proposed the LEGACY Soil Health and Habitat Program on November 22, 2025, aiming to add up to 10,000 acres of grassland by encouraging landowners to convert marginal cropland. For Stutsman County residents the plan could provide rental payments, cost share to establish grass, and lower crop insurance premiums while boosting soil health and wildlife habitat.
State conservation and wildlife groups submitted a proposal on November 22, 2025 to launch the LEGACY Soil Health and Habitat Program, a voluntary initiative that would pay landowners to convert marginal cropland into grass. The program could enroll up to 10,000 acres statewide and grew out of months of discussion among conservation, agriculture and energy interests, according to Kevin Kading, Private Lands Section leader for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department in Bismarck.
LEGACY is an acronym for "Land Stewardship, Ecology and Energy, Growth and Governance, Conservation and Collaboration, and Yield and Your Future." Under the plan participating landowners would sign five year agreements and receive rental payments on par with county averages along with cost share money to establish grass. The proposal also includes a reduction in crop insurance premiums for participating landowners, and in concept the initiative mirrors elements of the federal Conservation Reserve Program.
The North Dakota Association of Soil Conservation Districts and the Game and Fish Department asked the state for $4.31 million from the Outdoor Heritage Fund to start the program and must secure matching funds to proceed. The state Industrial Commission is scheduled to meet in early December to award funding for the latest grant round, a decision that will determine whether the program can move into enrollment and local outreach.
Local impact in Stutsman County could be significant for landowners with marginal acres that struggle to produce reliable yields. Rental payments tied to county averages may provide stable income for some operators while new grassland could improve soil health, support pollinators and wildlife, and reduce erosion. Participation would not require landowners to open property for hunting, though incentives would be offered for enrolling in the Game and Fish Department private lands access program.
Policy and equity questions remain around outreach to small and beginning farmers and how matching funds will be raised. If funded the program will test partnerships across conservation, agriculture and energy sectors while offering rural landowners another tool to manage land productivity and environmental stewardship.
