FARM AND RANCH LANDS PROTECTION PROGRAM APPLICATION DEADLINE ANNOUNCED
 
 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact information:
Meta Loftsgaarden, USDA NRCS Program Manager: (503) 414-3236, Meta.Loftsgaarden@or.usda.gov
 

PORTLAND, OR, April 8, 2009 – In an effort to preserve Oregon’s farm and ranch lands, the USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has announced that $1.3 million is available for the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP) in the state.

NRCS accepts applications for FRPP on a continuous basis throughout the year. In Oregon, applications received on or before May 22, 2009 will be considered for funding in fiscal year 2009.

“This program helps communities keep prime farm and ranch land productive while protecting local food systems for future generations,” said NRCS State Conservationist Ron Alvarado.

FRPP provides matching funds to help an entity – a state, tribal, or local government or non-government organization – purchase development rights to keep productive farm and ranch land in agricultural uses. Through the program, the partnering entity acquires conservation easements from interested private landowners on a voluntary basis. FRPP can provide up to 50 percent of the fair market value of the easement.

The participating landowner receives the easement payment in exchange for future development rights and continues to use the land for agriculture.

To qualify, farmland must:

• Be part of a pending offer from a State, tribal, or local farmland protection program;
• Be privately owned;
• Have a conservation plan for highly erodible land;
• Be large enough to sustain agricultural production;
• Be accessible to markets for what the land produces;
• Have adequate infrastructure and agricultural support services; and
• Have surrounding parcels of land that can support long-term agricultural production.
   

NRCS seeks FRPP proposals from entities that have: an established farm and ranch land protection program; funds to match the federal contribution; authority to hold and manage easements; and the capacity to acquire, manage, and enforce easements. Application must be made by the eligible entities to the NRCS state office in Portland, Oregon.

For application materials and more information, visit the NRCS Web site at: www.or.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/frpp or contact Meta Loftsgaarden, Oregon FRPP Program Manager, at (503) 414-3236.

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