Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program
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The Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP), formerly the Farmland Protection Program, is a voluntary conservation program that helps farmers and ranchers keep their land in agriculture. This program provides funds to help purchase development rights to keep productive farmland in agricultural uses. Working through existing programs, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) joins state, tribal, or local governments and non-governmental organizations to acquire conservation easements. The NRCS provides up to 50 percent of the appraised fair market easement value.
The Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP) administered by the USDA-NRCS, is accepting applications for funding on a continuous basis. The 2008 Farm Bill provided for a continuous signup to allow eligible entities more opportunities to sign up eligible parcels. Landowners must meet the Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) provisions of the 2008 Farm Bill.
NRCS has extended application deadline to May 1, 2013. In order to receive consideration for funding in fiscal year 2013, applications must be submitted to the State Conservationist by this date.
Salvador Salinas, State Conservationist
101 S. Main Street
Temple, TX 76501
Eligible Applicants
Applicants (eligible entities) must be a federally recognized Indian Tribes, State, unit of local government, or a nongovernmental organization. Applicants must have an established farmland protection program that purchases agricultural conservation easements for the purpose of protecting agriculture use and related conservation values by limiting conversion to nonagricultural uses of the land.
To be eligible to receive FRPP funding, applicants must demonstrate:
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A commitment to long-term conservation of agricultural lands;
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A capability to acquire, manage, and enforce easements;
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Sufficient number of staff dedicated to monitoring and easement stewardship; and
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The availability of funds.
Eligible Lands
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Must be privately owned land on a farm or ranch and
a. contain at least 50 percent prime, unique, Statewide, or locally important farmland, or
b. contain historical or archaeological resources; or
c. furthers a State or local policy consistent with the purposes of the program;
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Be subject to a pending offer by an eligible entity;
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Must be cropland, rangeland, grassland, pasture land, or forest land that contributes to the economic viability of an agricultural operation or serves as a buffer to protect an agricultural operation from development;
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For Additional Information
The National Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program website.
Contact
Claude Ross, State Easement Program Manager
Phone: 254-742-9822
