Definitions and Guidance - Grassland Reserve Program (GRP) 2005

Applications

Applications will be taken using the form AD-1153.

Predominance

Predominance for soils consideration means the soil that has the greatest acreage within the offered grassland.

Contiguous

The offered grassland should be adjoining, touching, bordering. If there is a large tract of land with grassland fields with a significant separation by woodland then the offer is ineligible. Significant separation means woodlands greater than 200 feet in width at the widest point. Offers that contain fields that are separated by a road or fence where the offer would be contiguous with out the presence of the road or fence is considered contiguous. Offers separated by roads such as dirt, gravel, or county highway and the right-of-way does not exceed 200 feet would be contiguous. Offers separated by larger state and federal roads with rights-of-way greater than 200 feet will not be contiguous. Offers separated by 4-lane roads or interstate are not considered contiguous. If needed the applicant could decide to exclude the noncontiguous acreage. There would still be a requirement of 40 contiguous acres.

Stocking Rates

This will be used as a measure of management and the potential for maintaining healthy, long-term stands of grasses. Proper stocking along with other practices encourages healthy stands of grasses. Under-stocking and over-stocking can adversely affect the health of pastures and grasses.

Measurement

Use a straight line method measuring the closest distance between points.

Native Grasses

For purposes of GRP in Alabama native grasses will include eastern gammagrass, little bluestem, big bluestem, indiangrass, and switchgrass. The native grass stand requirement will include existing stands of the above or agreements to restore one or more of the above native grasses. Native grass establishment may cost as much as $200/ac. Significant efforts will be required to prepare the site for planting. It may take 2 to 3 years before the stand of grasses could be used in a grazing system. Cost-share is set at 75 percent and will be only allowed for those desiring to restore native grasses to meet GRP requirements. A pool of $50,000 has been designated for cost-share. If this money is not fully obligated, then the remaining funds will be used to fund other GRP agreements at the end of FY2005.

Introduced Perennial Grasses

The common grasses in Alabama include all bahiagrass, bermuda grasses, dallisgrass, johnson grass, orchard grass and fescue.

Grassland

Grassland means land on which the vegetation is dominated by grasses, grass-like plants, shrubs and forbs. The definition of grassland as used in the context of GRP includes shrubland, land that contains forbs, pastureland and rangeland.

Improved Pasture

Improved pasture means grazing land permanently producing natural forage species that receives varying degrees of periodic cultural treatment to enhance forage quality and yields and is primarily harvested by grazing animals.

Native

Native means a species that is a part of the original fauna or flora of the area.

Natural

Natural means a native or an introduced species that is adapted to the ecological site and can perpetuate itself in the community without cultural treatment. For the purposes of GRP natural does not include noxious weeds.

Pastureland

Pastureland means a land cover or use category of land managed primarily for the production of introduced forage plants for grazing animals. It may consist of a single forage species in a pure stand or a grass mixture or grass-legume mixture. Management usually consists of cultural treatments: fertilization, weed control, reseeding or renovation, and control of grazing.

Unfunded Applications

Eligible applications will remain on file until funding becomes available or applicant chooses to be removed from consideration. Current program year ranking criteria will be used to rank applications that were not funded in earlier funding periods.

Moving/Haying/Harvesting Seed

These activities are restricted during the primary nesting season of April 1 to July 15. For GRP in Alabama, the areas of restriction will be 25 percent of grassland. The areas should be located adjacent to field edges, hedgerows, field borders, riparian buffers, protected areas or other wildlife areas. They should not be located adjacent to built-up areas or public roadways. These areas should be designated in the conservation plan. Fields smaller than three acres will be exempt from this requirement.

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