Conservation Easements
This link will take you to the Dutchess Land Conservancy website which has a detailed explanation of easements. Ulster County conservation groups follow a similar procedure for conservation and agricultural easements.
http://www.dutchessland.org/dlcConservationEasement.htm

Conservation Land Planning
Conservation land planning can assist conservation-minded landowners balance limited future development of their land with the conservation of its natural, scenic, and agricultural resources.
http://www.dutchessland.org/dlcConservationEasement.htm

New York State Tax Credit for Conservation
New York State has enacted a First-in-the-Nation tax credit for conservation easements.
http://www.lta.org/newsroom/nys_ce_credit.html

Federal Conservation Tax Incentive for Conservation Easement Donation
Family farmers, ranchers, and other moderate-income landowners can now obtain a significant tax benefit for making the charitable donation of a conservation easement.
http://199.238.135.238/publicpolicy/tax_incentives_updates.htm

Estate Planning
This can be an especially useful tool for assuring the future of your farm. Estate planning is the development of a system to transfer the ownership of property to others in a manner that achieves the goals of the original property owner.
http://www.nationalaglawcenter.org/assets/overviews/estateplanning.html

Agricultural Assessment
Agricultural assessments provide farmland owners with an opportunity to receive real property assessments based on the value of their land for agricultural production rather than on its development value.
http://www.agmkt.state.ny.us/AP/agservices/agdistricts.html

Conservation Stewardship Resources for Landowners
Some landowners may not be ready or able to permanently protect their property through a conservation easement or an outright conveyance to a land trust or government agency, but nevertheless seek information on how to be better stewards of their land.
http://www.privatelandownernetwork.org/plnlo/csr.asp

About Land Trusts
Land Trusts help protect land by working with landowners interested in conservation easements.
http://199.238.135.238/aboutlt/index.html

Rondout Valley Growers Association
This is a non-profit community organization comprised of local farmers, residents, and businesses that are committed to strengthening the region's family farms and preserving open space for future generations.
http://www.rondoutvalleygrowers.org/

American Farmland Trust
AFT has a vision for change: a vision of well-managed, protected farm and ranch land that provides open space, clean water, healthy food, wildlife habitat and a renewed connectedness between the farm community and the rest of America.
http://www.farmland.org/programs/states/NewYork.asp