Farm Bill Conservation Programs
Investing more than a billion dollars in a suite of conservation programs each year, the Farm Bill now far exceeds other federal sources of conservation funding. Easement programs like the Farmland Protection Program and Grassland Reserve Program are helping to conserve millions of acres of important landscapes across America.
Fiscal Year 2011 Agriculture Budget Would Cap Important Conservation Programs
In 2008, we celebrated $1 billion in new funding for easement programs in the Farm Bill over the next 5 years. Unfortunately, the Appropriations Committees can, and sometimes do, prevent these amounts from being automatically appropriated. Among the programs most important to land trusts, the Obama budget proposes the following cuts:
- The Grasslands Reserve Program would be reduced by 183,662 acres, a cut of about $22 m this year.
- The Farm and Ranchland Protection Program would be capped at $160 m -- that’s $10 m more than last year but a $15 m cut from the level provided in the Farm Bill.
- The Healthy Forests Reserve Program would decrease from $16 m to $10 m.
- The Wetlands Reserve Program would be reduced by 57,018 acres, cutting expenditures by about $111 m.
You can help by calling members of the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittees to protest cuts to these and other programs. This is a fight we can win! The Administration proposed similar caps last year, but Congress restored full funding for all the programs listed above. Click here to find members from your area, then call them via the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask for their Appropriations staffer. You might consider forwarding the House or Senate version of a coalition letter that protests these cuts.
Rules Published to Implement the 2008 Farm Bill
In January 2009, the Natural Resources Conservation Service published “interim final rules” to guide the implementation of the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP) and the Grasslands Reserve Program (GRP). Together, these programs will dedicate over a billion dollars over the next 5 years for the purchase of easements on working lands and your land trust may be eligible to participate.
- Update: In July 2009, NRCS released a revised Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program Rule (.pdf).
- Click here for Land Trust Alliance comments on the revised rule.
- Click here for the January 2009 FRPP Interim Final Rule (.pdf)
- Grasslands Reserve Program Rule (.pdf)
- Wetlands Reserve Program Rule (.pdf)
- Healthy Forests Reserve Program Rule (.pdf)
- NRCS Website with Information on Other Programs
These “interim final” rules are open to public comment, and could be delayed if the new Administration thinks it’s important to change them. We need your help reviewing them! Please email policy@lta.org if you identify important issues in the new rules. For help interpreting these rules and information on funding a particular project, please contact your state conservationist.
2008 Farm Bill Includes Billions for Conservation
In May 2008, Congress enacted a new 5-year Farm Bill. Thanks to the advocacy of hundreds of land trusts and a national coalition of conservation, sportsmen's and agricultural organizations, this bill:
- Provides a total of $733 million over 5 years for the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program
- Re-establishes the Grasslands Reserve Program with an acreage goal of 1.22 million acres.
- Extends the tax incentive for conservation easement donations.
Learn More about Conservation in the 2008 Farm Bill:
Land Trust Alliance Comments on the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program
Update: In response to a revised (and improved) July 2009 FRPP Rule, the Land Trust Alliance submitted updated comments on August 3.
The Land Trust Alliance is working with several organizations to increase funding for the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program. In October 2008, the Alliance and Trust for Public Land submitted comments on rulemaking for FRPP in the 2008 Farm Bill. In 2007, we released a more comprehensive review of the program with four recommended changes.
Resources at the Farmland Information Center
American Farmland Trust has a Farmland Information Center (FIC) Visit the FIC website or call the FIC’s experts at 800-370-4879 to find the answers to your farming-related questions. 2006 Update: Based on feedback from visitors, the site has new state pages that bundle key contacts, statistics, literature, laws, sample documents and legislative briefs to provide a snapshot of farmland protection activity.
Healthy Forests Reserve Program
In November 2003, the Congress established a new "Healthy Forests Reserve Program", providing payments for private forest landowners who agree to plans to protect and improve habitat for endangered and potentially endangered species. Regrettably, this program included the purchase of 99-year conservation easements, rather than permanent easements. Nevertheless, this program may provide significant financial assistance for landowners wanting to pursue management of their forest lands for endangered species. Many details are yet to be decided, and funding will depend on future appropriations.
NRCS Conservation Security Program
The Conservation Security Program (CSP) is a voluntary program that provides financial and technical assistance to promote the conservation and improvement of soil, water, air, energy, plant and animal life, and other conservation purposes on Tribal and private working lands. CSP is administered by USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
List of NRCS State Representatives
From the NRCS Web site, these are the primary contacts for participation in the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program.
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