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Aging farmers and the government want to save farms, but for many the cost is too high

A federal program promises to pay for farmland preservation. Few land owners are taking advantage.

By Jana Rose Schleis, KBIA Public Radio
Oct 9, 2026
1 hr ago

Ag easements 1.JPG — Liz Graznak (CQ), owner of Happy Hallow Farm, hands Daniel Kuebler (CQ) a bouquet of flowers after paying for vegetables on Aug. 29, 2026, in Columbia. Graznak gave the first one hundred customers a free bouquet with their purchase and the flowers were seen carried up and down Columbia Farmers Market.
Cory MacNeil

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By Jana Rose Schleis, KBIA Public Radio

Dan Kuebler is out on a hot August morning on what used to be his farm.

Ag easements 2.JPG — A bird flies over Dan Kuebler’s equipment from when he was a gardener on Aug. 13, 2026, in Ashland, Mo. When Kuebler sold his land in 2025, he arranged to still live at the cabin “until (he) died.”
Kate Cassady/Missourian

Ag easements 4.png

Ag easements 3.JPG — Dan Kuebler’s walks to his cabin on Aug. 13, 2026, in Ashland, Mo. Kuebler has lived at the cabin and its 30 acres of land since 1977.
Kate Cassady/Missourian

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This story is a product of the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk, an independent reporting network based at the University of Missouri.

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