Habitat Conservation
Assistance Network
Proactive Conservation for Working Lands

As part of the 2014 Farm Bill, the Farm and Ranch Land Protection Program, Grasslands Reserve Program and Wetlands Reserve Program were consolidated into the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program. Learn more about the new Agricultural Conservation Easement Program here.

The Farm and Ranch Land Protection Program (FRPP) provides matching funds to help purchase development rights to keep productive farm and ranchland in agricultural uses. Working through existing programs, USDA partners with State, tribal, or local governments and non-governmental organizations to acquire conservation easements or other interests in land from landowners. USDA provides up to 50 percent of the fair market easement value of the conservation easement.

To qualify, farmland must be, or have:

• part of a pending offer from a State, tribe, or local farmland protection program
• be privately owned;
• a conservation plan for highly erodible land
• large enough to sustain agricultural production
• accessible to markets for what the land produces
• adequate infrastructure and agricultural support services
• surrounding parcels of land that can support long-term agricultural production

Depending on funding availability, proposals must be submitted by the eligible entities to the appropriate NRCS State Office during the application window.

Listed as:

• USDA - NRCS Programs