Link: http://www.usda.gov/2006/04/0122.xml Release No. 0122.06 Jim Brownlee (202) 720-4623 Sylvia Rainford (202) 720-2536 USDA PROVIDES MORE THAN $70 MILLION TO PROTECT FARM AND RANCH LANDS WASHINGTON, April 10, 2006-Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns today announced the availability of more than $70 million to protect agricultural land in 50 states and Puerto Rico through the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP) in fiscal year 2006. "Preserving the nation's prime agricultural farm and ranch lands helps to ensure a vibrant future for American agriculture," said Johanns. "Once protected by conservation easements, this land will be shielded from development pressure and continue to support our safe and abundant food supply." USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is seeking proposals from state, federally recognized tribal and local governments and non-governmental organizations interested in working together to acquire conservation easements on farms and ranches. NRCS State Offices must receive proposals by 5:00 p.m. EDT on May 11, 2006. NRCS is expected to announce final project selections in June. Since the program's inception in 1996, more than 277,811 acres of farm and ranch land have been protected in 43 states. FRPP protects productive agricultural land by purchasing conservation easements to limit conversion of farm and ranch lands to non-agricultural uses. Using existing programs, USDA partners with State, tribal, or local governments and non-government organizations to acquire conservation easements or other interests in land from landowners. USDA provides up to 50 percent of the appraised fair market value of the conservation easement in this voluntary program. State and local entities can match that amount, including the use of landowner donations. The eligible farm or ranch must have the following components: --contain productive soils 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; --covered by a conservation plan; --large enough to sustain agricultural production; --accessible to markets for what the land produces; and --surrounded by parcels of land that can support long-term agricultural production. Below are FRPP allocations for fiscal year 2006 by state: State Allocations ($) Alabama 701,829 Alaska 1,881,436 Arizona 296,945 Arkansas 156,001 California 2,444,360 Colorado 2,307,257 Connecticut 3,133,156 Delaware 2,416,082 Florida 1,696,378 Georgia 794,706 Hawaii 1,895,088 Idaho 625,797 Illinois 1,236,160 Indiana 207,861 Iowa 488,142 Kansas 500,126 Kentucky 1,968,111 Louisiana 195,121 Maine 949,359 Maryland 3,015,238 Massachusetts 3,757,518 Michigan 1,812,583 Minnesota 563,489 Mississippi 161,825 Missouri 527,902 Montana 1,575,741 Nebraska 356,462 Nevada 1,657,224 New Hampshire 3,378,849 New Jersey 4,125,572 New Mexico 309,922 New York 2,242,108 North Carolina 1,758,682 North Dakota 415,655 Ohio 2,013,637 Oklahoma 719,931 Oregon 622,813 Pennsylvania 2,843,472 Rhode Island 3,818,384 South Carolina 734,293 South Dakota 156,001 Tennessee 551,831 Texas 1,147,736 Utah 836,029 Vermont 3,139,224 Virginia 932,024 Washington 1,191,302 West Virginia 1,933,575 Wisconsin 1,571,753 Wyoming 551,334 Puerto Rico 146,413 TOTAL 72,462,437 The Announcement of Program Funding can be found at http://www.grants.gov. and http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/frpp. Additional FRPP information also can be found at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/frpp. # USDA News oc.news@xxxxxxxx 202 720-4623 ---------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send email to webservices@xxxxxxxx and reference your email address.
