South Carolina to Receive Over $1.4 Million from USDA to Protect Farmland

Columbia, SC, November 23, 2004—USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) State Conservationist Walter W. Douglas today announced that more than $1.4 million is available to protect farmland in South Carolina. The funds are part of more than $78 million available nationally to protect farm and ranch land in all 50 states and Puerto Rico through the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP).“  This program helps ensure that valuable, productive land is protected,” said Douglas.  “The funds will be used to purchase conservation easements to limit conversion of farm and ranch lands to nonagricultural uses.”

NRCS will accept FRPP proposals from interested state, tribal and local governments and nongovernmental organizations until mid-March 2005 to manage the program.  An official Request for Proposals will be published in the Federal Register soon.

For those proposals selected for funding, USDA enters into agreements with nongovernmental organizations, states, federally recognized tribes and local governments to support their efforts to protect soils and historical and archaeological sites.  USDA provides up to 50 percent of the appraised fair market value of the conservation easement. 

To participate in the program, landowners agree to limit the use of their land for nonagricultural purposes and to develop and implement a conservation plan.  The farm must contain productive soils or historic or archaeological sites and be:

• part of a pending offer from a nongovernmental organization, state, tribe or local farmland protection program;

• privately owned;

• covered by a conservation plan;

• large enough to sustain agricultural production;

• accessible to markets for what the land produces; and

• surrounded by parcels of land that can support long-term agricultural production.  

In addition, the land entered for consideration must not be more than 49% forested—this includes land planted to Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) tree practices.

Additional information on FRPP, including the Request for Proposals, is on the Web at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/frpp. Once the rule is published in the Federal Register, a request for proposals from entities will be issued.

For more information, contact your local USDA Service Center.

USDA-NRCS is an equal opportunity employer and provider.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                      Contact:         Amy O. Maxwell 
                                                                                Public Affairs Specialist  
                                                                                803.765.5402  
                                                                                amy.maxwell@sc.usda.gov