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Money Available to Protect Farms, Ranches


Contact: Renee Bodine (602) 280-8778
or George Couch (602) 280-8806   

PHOENIX, March 27, 2007 - More than $137,710 is available to protect agricultural land in Arizona through the federal Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program this year. Project proposals will be accepted through April 27.  

“This program helps communities preserve open space, wildlife habitat and cultural resources,” said David McKay, State Conservationist for U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service for Arizona. “This is an excellent way to keep prime farmland in agriculture and, at the same time, relieve development pressures.” Nationwide, $69 million is available to all 50 states, the Pacific Islands, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands for FRPP projects in fiscal year 2007.  

NRCS is seeking proposals from local, state and federally recognized tribal governments and non-governmental organizations interested in working together to acquire conservation easements on farms and ranches.  Proposals postmarked or received at the NRCS State Office in Phoenix, Arizona, by the close of business April 27 will be ranked and considered for funding.  Final project selections are expected to be announced in June. Instructions for project proposals are available on the federal grants website at http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?oppId=13031&mode=VIEW and at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/frpp.  

FRPP protects productive agricultural land by purchasing conservation easements to limit conversion of farm and ranch lands to non-agricultural uses.  Using existing programs, NRCS in Arizona partners with local, state or tribal, governments and non-government organizations to acquire conservation easements or other interests in land from landowners.  NRCS provides up to a 50 percent match to cooperating entities for the purchase of conservation easements on prime and unique farmlands and historically significant grazing lands.  

Arizona currently has 2,300 acres of grazing lands entered into the program, based on historical/cultural resources eligibility.  Cooperating entities submit proposals in the format released by NHQ described in the Request For Proposals.  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.

Several changes were made to FRPP in fiscal year 2007. Easements must be closed within 18 months instead of the previously allowable two years.  Cooperative entities must submit additional documentation on acres of wetlands and forested land. Additional documentation will be needed for cultural resources if the parcels are qualifying based on their historic or archaeological characteristics. In addition, sponsoring entities must submit a list of alternative tracts of qualifying land in case a funded parcel is withdrawn from the program and the tract must be replaced from the list of alternatives.   

For more information on FRPP, visit http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/frpp. For more information about FRPP and other conservation programs in Arizona contact Steve Smarik, NRCS Environmental Specialist, at 602-280-8785 or visit www.az.nrcs.usda.gov for more information. 


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