United States Department of Agriculture
Natural Resources Conservation Service		 Kansas Go to Accessibility Information
Skip to Page Content




Kansas Technical Committee Minutes - February 2006

Kansas Technical Committee (KTC) Meeting
Thursday, February 23, 2006
10:00 a.m.
NRCS Conference Center
747 Duval - Salina, Kansas

Harold L. Klaege, State Conservationist, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) gave the welcome, opening remarks and update on programs. Introductions were made.

Harold pointed out the new technology installed to allow for teleconferencing the committee meetings. Handouts would be available on a website. No one took advantage of the opportunity today, but it would be made available for all future KTC meetings.

Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP)

Lynn E. Thurlow, Soil Conservationist, NRCS, discussed the new appraisal process that will be used with the NRCS conservation easement programs. It will impact WRP and Grassland Reserve Program (GRP) this year and the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program possibly next year.

Reasons for a change in appraisal process:

  1. Be more consistent and resemble appraisal process used by other federal agencies in land acquisition
  2. Be consistent within the NRCS easement programs valuation methods
  3. In response to WRP audit completed by Office of Inspector General (OIG)

Old appraisal process used with WRP was to have the easement area appraised for the fair market agricultural value of the land.

New appraisal process will determine a market value of the whole property before the easement is placed, and then determine a market value of the whole property after the easement is placed. The difference between the before value and after value will be the value of the easement.

Amount of dollars landowner receives is the lesser of:

  1. Value of market appraisal,
  2. Geographic area rates, or
  3. Landowner offer.

Lynn presented a geographic area rate map for the State of Kansas that was developed with the WRP subcommittee. He pointed out data that is available in setting the rates. Both National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) and Kansas Agricultural Statistics Service (KASS) data, found in Kansas State University Extension Farm Management Guide MF-1100, were used in the development of the rate map. NASS 2002 data by county was indexed to 2005 values using an indexing value determined by dividing 2005 price per acre by 2002 price per acre. The subcommittee wanted to leave the geographic rates by county, but update the dollar value to reflect 2005 values.

These documents are in Adobe Acrobat format.

Adobe Acrobat Document2006 WRP Geographic Regions - Rate Cap Determinations (161 KB)
Adobe Acrobat DocumentFarm Management Guide MF-1100 (318 KB)

After considerable discussion, the KTC was in favor of using this geographic rate cap for this year and re-evaluate prior to an update for next year's use.

Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP)

Lynn E. Thurlow, Soil Conservationist, NRCS, pointed out that the Kansas FRPP plan had not been reviewed since being developed in 2002. With anticipation that the rating criteria will need to be used, the FRPP subcommittee started reviewing critical items in the plan; namely, eligibility criteria and Kansas Rating Guidelines. A draft for these sections of the plan was distributed to the group.

Adobe Acrobat DocumentDraft Kansas 2006 FRPP Eligibility Criteria and Rating Guidelines (67 KB)

Discussion was held on eligibility criteria. It was decided that item 4, the willingness to develop a voluntary conservation plan prior to easement closing, is not an eligibility criteria that means anything and should be left out. The remaining items are national criteria and will remain.

Discussion then moved to the Kansas Rating Guidelines which the FRPP subcommittee had started revising. The rating items needed to be quantified and updated to include additional national rating criteria and inclusion of any state rating criteria. Each rating item was reviewed. Recommendations for changes: 1) lower points being given for historic and archaeological sites to no more than 10, and 2) change total acres being protected to total acres offered.

Additional work will be done on Kansas FRPP State Plan prior to June 1, 2006. Rating guidelines are expected to be needed at that time.

There was discussion pertaining to the Army Compatible Use Buffer (ACUB) around Ft. Riley and how that might impact the FRPP in Kansas.

Review of Standards and Specifications

James J. Krueger, State Resource Conservationist, NRCS, discussed standards and specifications. There are 328 standards that are reviewed on a rotating basis so all standards are reviewed every five years. He wanted to give the KTC an opportunity to review standards. It was decided that emails would be sent to KTC members when drafts are sent out to area technical review personnel. There are seven standards and specifications that will be going out for review within the next two weeks.

Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG)

James J. Krueger, State Resource Conservationist, NRCS, gave a Power Point (Attachment 4) presentation on opportunities for different grants through the NRCS. He asked for volunteers to serve on a screening committee to review grant proposals submitted.

This document is a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation.

Microsoft PowerPoint PresentationConservation Grant Opportunities (959 KB)

Information on grants can be found at the following websites:

< Back to Kansas Technical Committee