|
| |
Farm and Ranch Lands Protection
Program (FRPP) In
Alabama
 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, we are working 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 part of a pending offer from a State, tribe, or
local farmland protection program; be privately owned; have a conservation plan
for highly erodible land; be large enough to sustain agricultural production; be
accessible to markets for what the land produces; have adequate infrastructure
and agricultural support services; and have surrounding parcels of land that can
support long-term agricultural production.
Eligibility Criteria
- Entity must represent a local unit of Government or is a
non-governmental organization described in section 501 c (3), 509(a)(2) or
509(a)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
A. Organizations must demonstrate their ability, both
legally and programmatically to acquire, manage and enforce easements. A
higher priority will be placed on entities that have extensive experience in
managing easements.
- The primary purpose of the easement must be for the protection of
important farmland soils in Alabama including prime farmland and
soils of statewide importance according to the
identification of such soils maintained by the NRCS, Auburn, AL. Or, the
parcel must be identified on the National or State Registry of Historic or
Archaeological Sites.
- If there is highly erodible land on the parcel, the parcel must have an
approved conservation plan prepared by the NRCS.
- The parcel must be of sufficient size to allow for efficient management
of the area, have an existing agricultural infrastructure, both on and
off-farm, and have access to markets.
- There must be a pending offer for the acquisition of the conservation
easement, and at least ½ of the fair market value of the easement must be
obligated for this purpose. The landowner can donate as much of the value as
they wish toward the transaction, however, only 25 percent can be counted
toward the entity's match.
- There must be an appraisal of the property completed by a land appraiser
certified in the State of Alabama. A Restricted Use Appraisal (the simplest
appraisal condoned by the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal
Practice) will be accepted at the time the proposal is submitted. A full
appraisal must be completed prior to the closing on the easement. Appraisals
must conform to the Uniform Appraisal Standards for Federal Land Acquisition
(yellow book) or Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practices (USPAP).
- Duration of the easement must be a perpetual easements.
- Proposals demonstrating the protection of significant acres of prime
farmland or soils of statewide importance will be given higher priority.
- Proposals demonstrating there is an urgent and immediate threat from
development will be given higher priority.
- Proposals demonstrating the close proximity to other agricultural land,
infrastructure and agribusinesses that can support long-term agricultural
production.
- Parcels that are adjacent to, or in close proximity to other
conservation land that help create large tracts of protected area will be
given higher priority.
- Proposals are due into the NRCS State
Office, Auburn, Alabama, on (date to be announced).
Application
These documents require Adobe
Acrobat or Microsoft
Word.
Map - Counties Receiving Additional FRPP
Points (html)
FRPP Ranking Criteria
As HTML Document
As Word Document (Doc, 38
KG)
Application (PDF, 27 KB)
FRPP
Warranty Easement Deed Sample (Doc, 104 KB) Last Modified:
07/15/2009
<Back to Financial Assistance Programs
<Back to Programs | |
|
About Us
Back to Top