Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP)
The Farm and Ranch Protection Program's (FRPP) goal is to
facilitate and provide funding for the purchase of conservation easements or
other interests in land for the purpose of protecting the agricultural use and
related conservation values by limiting nonagricultural uses of the land. NRCS
works through eligible government, tribal, and non-governmental entities and
provides funds to pay for up to 50 percent of the fair market value of the
easement.
Eligibility
Land eligibility requirements (not all listed):
·
Land must be privately owned,
·
Contain at least 50% prime, unique, statewide or locally important
farmland or
contain historical or archaeological resources or land that furthers a State
or
local policy that is consistent with FRPP purpose,
·
Be subject to a pending offer by an eligible entity,
·
Be cropland, grassland, pasture land or forest land (forest land
not more 2/3 of
easement) that contributes to the viability of an agricultural operation or
serves
as a buffer to protect an agricultural operation from development.
Other program requirements (not all listed):
·
Landowner is responsible for complying with highly erodible land
and wetland
conservation and
·
Meeting the Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) limitations
·
A conservation plan must be developed.
Appraisals and Technical Reviews
Appraisals conducted for parcels that will receive FRPP
funding must be completed according to NRCS policy.
FRPP
policy Part 519.62, provides instructions and describes in detail
requirements for appraisals to meet NRCS policy. Appraisals must meet either
UASFLA or USPAP standards and must be in Self-Contained Report format. No
other appraisal format will be accepted by NRCS for the FRPP program. In
addition, the appraisal effective date must be within twelve months of the
closing date with the landowner and within twelve months of the date of NRCS
reimbursement. NRCS will return to the entity all appraisals
that have an effective date older than twelve months and that are not in
Self-Contained report format.
All appraisal reports are subject to a technical appraisal
review conducted for compliance with appraisal instructions prior to acceptance
by NRCS. Upon receiving an adequate appraisal from an entity, NRCS will
submit the appraisal for Technical Review. Part 519.105 (see above link to
FRPP Policy) describes in detail the requirements and format for the Technical
Review of FRPP appraisals.
NRCS FRPP appraisal policy has changed from program year to
program year. See the link below summarizing FRPP appraisal rules for
current and prior year cooperative agreements.
FRPP appraisal
rules comparison table
Applying for the FRPP Program:
Interested landowners need to apply and work with an eligible entity.
Eligible entities then submit their applications to the Pennsylvania NRCS State
Office at One Credit Union Place, Suite 340, Harrisburg, PA 17110-2993.
Entities can submit applications at any time. December 31, 2009 is the cutoff date to be considered in the first round of funding
for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010. After the December 31st deadline,
NRCS will accept and rank applications quarterly until funds are expended. Unfunded
applications can be retained for the next funding cycle.
NOTE: Beginning with 2009-funded parcels, FRPP funds
cannot be matched with any other Federal funds. Parcels enrolled from 1996-2008
may use other Federal funds to match FRPP funds.
2010 FRPP Program
2010 Cooperative Agreement Templates
The Cooperative Agreement Templates for Certified and Non-Certified Entities.
The Certified and Non-Certified Cooperative Agreement Templates are for
agreements with and without installments. Agreements with installments are
longer to allow for a five-year payout of the easement value. See
agreements as listed below:
With Installments:
Without Installments:
All parcels must close within 18 months of the end of the fiscal year of the
funding for the attachment.
Barry Frantz, Asst. State
Conservationist for Programs, 717-237-2216
Hathaway Jones,
Program Analyst, 717-237-2210
Noel Soto, Soil
Conservationist, 717-237-2173
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