Texas Agricultural Land Trust

“The Executive Committee consists of the Chairman of the Board, the Vice-Chair, and the Treasurer. The Chief Executive Officer shall serve as an ex-officio member of the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee previews issues for full discussion before Board meetings, serves as a sounding board for TALT's Chief Executive Officer, acts in a time-sensitive manner when the full TALT Board of Directors is not available, acts on grievance and whistle blower action brought forward by staff. The Executive Committee also serves as the Audit Committee”

“The Audit Committee receives (via email) the draft of the 990 at least 2 days before a call with the CPA firm who prepared the document. A conference call with the CPA firm is held to discuss important topics and to review the Form 990. Once approved by the Audit Committee, the draft Form 990 is distributed to the entire Board of Directors prior to filing with the IRS.”

“The CEO tracks any potential conflicts and there is a standing agenda item at every board meeting to remind the board members to disclose any conflicts of interest to the Board Chairman. Once a year, the conflicts are recognized and it is determined whether any conflict could confer a significant economic advantage compared to the general public, and that it is fair and further benefits TALT's objectives. In addition, the TALT Board member with the conflict recuses himself/herself from discussions and voting involving the conflict.”

“Texas Agricultural Land Trust (TALT) uses comparative salary data gleaned from 990s of similar nonprofit organizations and salary data provided by the Land Trust Alliance. This information is reviewed during the interview process and annual review process.”

“TALT includes its Governing Principles, Strategic Plan and Annual Report (which includes a summary of the audited financials) on the website. Additional information is provided upon request.”

“The mission of the Texas Agricultural Land Trust (TALT) is to conserve the Texas heritage of agricultural lands, natural resources and wildlife habitats. TALT works to sustain the long-term stewardship of private lands for the benefit of all Texans. TALT accomplishes its mission through voluntary conservation measures, education and outreach efforts. TALT partners with private landowners to negotiate and transact conservation easements that protect important conservation values, in accordance with IRC Section 170(h). These privately stewarded lands provide public benefits such as productive agricultural lands, scenic views, drinking water protection, natural wildlife habitat and open space. With 95% of Texas land privately held and 81% classified as working lands, TALT works to educate the public on the many public benefits provided by the stewardship of private lands, and to inform Texas landowners about the value and use of conservation easements. Additionally, TALT is partnering with private landowners and industry to advance ecosystem service markets that provide added conservation value not only benefiting landowners, but delivering lasting benefits to all Texans. Since 2007, TALT has helped landowners to protect approximately 286,000 acres of Texas.”

“(Continued from Part III) Our program is guided by best practices from the Land Trust Alliance (LTA) and the Partnership of Rangeland Trusts (PORT), and TALT has been nationally accredited since 2013 by LTA for meeting the highest standards in conservation. In the tax year, TALT closed 6 new conservation easements, bringing the total acreage under easement to over 286,000 acres. This milestone reinforces TALT's role as the largest state-based land trust in Texas and highlights our commitment to protecting the state's agricultural heritage and natural landscapes for future generations.”

“(Continued from Part III) These initiatives are designed to foster a deeper understanding of conservation tools, promote the benefits of voluntary land conservation, and strengthen the connection between working lands and broader environmental and economic goals. Examples of such education and outreach programs includes a Landowner Workshop on Conservation Easements in Granbury, TX (April 2024); the Working Lands Innovation Summit (October 2024); the TALT YouTube Channel which houses a live recording of the Conservation Easements 101 webinar (December 2024) and narrative style videos about the families we work with; participation in the National Cattleman's Beef Association Cattle Con in San Antonio, TX (January 2025); multiple presentation sessions at the Texas Land Trust Council conference (February 2025).”

“All conservation easements purchased or donated are recognized as conservation expense on TALT's statement of activities and are not recorded as assets in the statement of financial position. TALT believes the conservation easements do not have a future value as the property interest held by TALT provides no affirmative rights beyond the obligation to monitor and enforce the terms of the easements. See Schedule D, Part II for more information on TALT's conservation easememnts.”