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“If we take care of the land, it will take care of us.” – Hugh Hammond
Bennett , First Chief of the SCS
2010 marked the 75th anniversary of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the beginning of the federal commitment to conserving natural resources on private lands. Originally established by Congress in 1935 as the Soil Conservation Service (SCS), NRCS has expanded to become a conservation leader for all natural resources, ensuring private lands are conserved, restored, and more resilient to environmental challenges, like climate change.
October 17, 2011 – Washington Post
United States, USDA, NRCS-Funded Conservation Easements
Purposes - Protect and Restore:• Farm and Ranch Lands• Grasslands• Wetlands• Forestlands• Floodplains
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Conservation Easement Programs
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• Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP)• Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP)• Grassland Reserve Program (GRP)
$97,939,657
Current NRCS Held Easements
WRP 132/75,605 acres
GRP19/6,539 acres
FRPP 9/4,659 acres
Grassland Reserve Program (GRP)
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Assists landowners to restore and protect grassland, rangeland, pastureland, shrub land and certain other lands and provides assistance for restoration.
GRP Land Eligibility• Privately owned (includes Tribal
land)• Grassland for which grazing is the
predominant use• Located in an area historically
dominated by grassland• Significant ecological value• Must face threat of conversion to
due to development, fragmentation or crop production
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GRP Enrollment OptionsPermanent Easement
• NRCS bears the full cost of acquisition
• Easement Compensation based on the lower of:– Market value of
encumbered grasslands– Landowner Offer– Geographic Area Rate Cap
established by NRCS
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Grassland Reserve Program
2012 Geographic Area
Rate Caps
GRP Enrollment OptionsRental Agreements• Contract for a period of 10,
15 or 20 years• Must following a grazing plan• Annual grazing rental
payment• Priority given to expiring CRP
contracts.
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Texas Allocation
2009 - $4.259 Million
2010 - $22.6 Million
2011 - $4.6 Million
2012 - $14 Million60% Easements
40% Rental Contracts
QUESTION: New Farm Bill or Extension?
• 2008 Farm Bill Expires September 30, 2012 unless extended.
• Congress has not passed a new Farm Bill. • NRCS does not know what the provisions
of the Farm Bill will be concerning Easement Programs.
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2012
The House Farm Bill, H.R. 6083, Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management (FARRM) Act of 2012, can be found
at: http://agriculture.house.gov/sites/republicans.agriculture.house.gov/files/documents/HR6083FARRM.pdf
The Senate Farm Bill, S. 3240, the Agriculture Reform, Food
and Jobs (ARFJ) Act of 2012, can be found at: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-112s3240pp/pdf/BILLS-112s3240pp.pdf
2012
Subtitle H - Agricultural Conservation Easement Program
• Agricultural Land Easements• Cost-share to eligible entities• Combines FRPP & GRP
• Wetland Easements• WRP
Claude Ross
Easement Programs Specialist
101 South Main
Temple, Texas 76501
254.742.9822
NRCS Programs website: http://www.tx.nrcs.usda.gov/programs Follow on Twitter: http://twitter.com/NRCSTexas Follow on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/USDANRCSTexas Videos available on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/USDANRCSTexas
"The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all of its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, political beliefs, genetic information, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD)."
