Funding Available for the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program

March 28, 2007

For More Information:
Dennis Dellwo, 406-587-6748

Bozeman--Proposals will be accepted for the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP) until April 27, 2007. This voluntary program allows farmers and ranchers working with land trusts, state or local government, or tribal organizations to purchase conservation easements to ensure agricultural lands remain in production and are not subdivided.

“The Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program offers an opportunity to keep agricultural lands threatened by development in production,” said Chuck Gordon, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) acting state conservationist. “The program can pay up to 50 percent of the purchase price of the easement and the landowner maintains control of the land.”

More than $69 million has been set aside nationally to fund the FRPP this year, including about $900,000 in Montana. Last year, NRCS in Montana used more than $1.5 million to protect agricultural lands in the state by helping to acquire three easements. NRCS worked with the Gallatin Valley Land Trust, Trust for Public Land, and Montana Land Reliance to put 7,249 acres of land in Gallatin and Madison counties under conservation easements that protect the land from development while keeping it in agricultural production.

Details on how to submit proposals for FRPP are available on the 2007 Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program website and include information on organization and land eligibility, what is required for the proposal, ranking considerations, and program information. The announcement of program funding can also be found at Grants.gov.

The deadline for submitting proposals to the NRCS state office is April 27, 2007. Submitted proposals will be ranked and considered for funding on a statewide level. For more information on the FRPP and how to submit proposals, please contact Dennis Dellwo at (406) 587-6748. Proposals should be sent to Chuck Gordon, Acting State Conservationist; Federal Building, Room 443; 10 East Babcock St.; Bozeman, MT 59715.

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