USDA to Provide Federal Funds to Protect Working Farms and Ranches in Kansas

Harold L. Klaege, State Conservationist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's NRCS, announced that $663,000 is available to protect agricultural land in Kansas through the federal Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP) in Fiscal Year (FY) 2007.

The FRPP, administered by NRCS, provides matching funds to help purchase development rights to keep productive farm and ranch land in agricultural uses. Working through existing programs, NRCS partners with state, tribal, or local governments and non-governmental organizations to acquire conservation easements or other interests in land from landowners. NRCS provides up to 50 percent of the fair market easement value of the conservation easement.

"This program helps communities preserve open space, wildlife habitat, and cultural resources," Klaege said. "This is an excellent way to keep prime farmland in agriculture and, at the same time, keep farming and ranching communities thriving by relieving development pressures."

Nationwide, $69 million is available to all 50 states, the Pacific Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands for FRPP projects in FY 2007.

Due Date for Proposals

NRCS is seeking proposals from local, state, and federally-recognized tribal governments and non-governmental organizations interested in working together to acquire conservation easements on farms and ranches. Proposals postmarked or received at the NRCS State Office, 760 South Broadway, Salina, Kansas, by the close of business Friday, April 27, 2007, will be ranked and considered for funding. Final project selections are expected to be announced in June. Instructions for project proposals are available on the federal grants Web site and the National NRCS FRPP Web site.

Eligibility Components

The eligible farm or ranch must have the following components:

• contain prime or important farmlands or historic or archaeological sites;
• be part of a pending offer from a non-governmental organization, state, tribe, or local farmland protection program;
• be privately owned;
• be covered by a conservation plan if highly erodible land;
• be large enough to sustain agricultural production;
• be accessible to markets for what the land produces; and
• be surrounded by parcels of land that can support long-term agricultural production.

FRPP Changes in FY 2007

Several changes were made to FRPP in FY 2007. Easements must be closed within 18 months instead of the previously allowable two years. Agreements will only be extended for extenuating circumstances. Cooperative entities must submit additional documentation on acres of wetlands and forested land.

Additional documentation will be needed for cultural resources if the parcels are qualifying based on their historic or archaeological characteristics. In addition, sponsoring entities must submit a list of alternative tracts of qualifying land in case a funded parcel is withdrawn from the program, and the tract must be replaced from the list of alternatives.

"NRCS adopted these changes to accelerate the conservation easement deed review process and to gather required information earlier in the application process," Klaege said.

Last fiscal year, NRCS and its sponsors in Kansas entered 2,000 acres into three conservation easements through FRPP. Nationwide, NRCS has closed 1,682 conservation easements covering 331,557 acres since the program began in 1996.

For more information on FRPP, please visit the National NRCS FRPP Web site. For more information about other NRCS programs in Kansas, please visit the Kansas NRCS Web site.

Last Modified: 04/02/2007