Farms and Ranch Lands Protection Program

The summary for the Farms and Ranch Lands Protection Program grant is detailed below. This summary states who is eligible for the grant, how much grant money will be awarded, current and past deadlines, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numbers, and a sampling of similar government grants. Verify the accuracy of the data FederalGrants.com provides by visiting the webpage noted in the Link to Full Announcement section or by contacting the appropriate person listed as the Grant Announcement Contact. If any section is incomplete, please visit the website for the Natural Resources Conservation Service, which is the U.S. government agency offering this grant.

Farms and Ranch Lands Protection Program: Effective on the publication date of this notice, NRCS announces the availability of over $70 million for FRPP, until September 30, 2006. The NRCS State Conservationist must receive proposals for participation within 45 days of the date of this notice. State, Tribal, and local governmental entities and qualified nongovernmental organizations may apply.Selection will be made and based on the criteria established in this notice and additional criteria developed by the applicable State Conservationist. Pending offers by an eligible entity must be for acquiring an easement for perpetuity, and not applicable where State law prohibits a permanent easement.Under the FRPP, NRCS may provide up to 50 percent of the appraised fair market value of the conservation easement; the cooperating entity provides the other 50 percent. Landowner donations up to 25 percent of the appraised fair market value of the conservation easement may be considered part of the entity's matching offer. For the entity, two cost-share options are available when providing its matching offer. One option is for the entity to provide, in cash, at least 25 percent of the appraised fair market value of the conservation easement. The second option is for the entity to provide, in cash, at least 50 percent of the purchase price of the conservation easement. The second option may be preferable to an entity in the case of a large bargain sale by the landowner. If the second option is selected, the NRCS share cannot exceed the entity's contribution.The CCC, acting through NRCS, will accept proposals submitted to the NRCS State Offices in which the proposed projects are located from eligible entities that have pending offers for acquiring conservation easements for the purposes of protecting topsoil by limiting nonagricultural use of the land and/or protecting historical and archaeological sites on farm and ranch lands.All proposals must be submitted to the appropriate NRCS State Conservationist within 45 days from the date of this notice. The NRCS State Conservationist may consult with the State Technical Committee to evaluate the merits of the proposals.The NRCS State Conservationist will review and evaluate the proposals based on the entitys eligibility, land eligibility, and the extent to which the proposal supports to FRPP objectives. Proposals must include adequate proof of a pending offer for the subject land. Adequate proof includes a written bid, contract, commitment, or option extended to a landowner. Pending offers based upon appraisals completed and signed by State-certified general appraisers will receive higher priority for FRPP funding. Proposals submitted directly to the NRCS National Office will not be accepted and will be returned to the submitting entity.Link to Full Announcement: Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program Announcement for Program Funding (link is: www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/frpp)