United States Department of Agriculture
Natural Resources Conservation Service		 Iowa Go to Accessibility Information
Skip to Page Content





Grassland Reserve Program

The Grassland Reserve Program (GRP) has reached its national spending cap for the 2002 Farm Bill. All unfunded GRP applications will be retained indefinitely, or until further notice.

The GRP is a voluntary conservation program that helps private landowners and operators restore and protect grassland, including rangeland and pastureland.

Emphasis for enrollment into the program is on:

  • support for active grazing operations,
  • plant and animal biodiversity, and
  • grasslands under the greatest threat of non-urban conversion, and
  • cost effectiveness.

The GRP was authorized in the 2002 Farm Bill and is administered jointly by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the USDA Farm Services Agency (FSA), in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service.

Program Information

These documents require Acrobat Reader.

Fact Sheet (PDF, 71 KB)
Key Points (PDF, 67 KB)
Questions and Answers (PDF, 71 KB)

Enrollment Options

For 2004, applicants can only choose a multi-year rental agreement.

Rental Agreements

Participants may choose a 10-, 15-, 20-, or a 30-year contract. USDA will provide annual payments in an amount that is not more than 75 percent of the grazing value of the land covered by the agreement for the life of the agreement.

If restoration is determined necessary by NRCS, a restoration agreement will be incorporated within the rental agreement or easement. For 2004, USDA will be seeking applications that do not require restoration.

Application/Sign-Up Period

Applications for the Grassland Reserve Program (GRP) are accepted at USDA Service Centers on a continuous basis with one or more ranking and selection periods per fiscal year. The first GRP ranking period will end July 2, 2004. NRCS field offices will be notified of contract approval by July 26, 2004. Applications that are not selected for funding in fiscal year 2004 will be deferred and considered for funding during the next ranking period.

Ranking

Applications will be evaluated and selected based on a ranking score determined from the state ranking criteria. For 2004, priority will be given to applications under the greatest threat of conversion, that have the most diversity and that do not require restoration efforts.


 2004 Ranking Worksheet (PDF, 80 KB)    

For More Information

_______________________________________________

Contact

Kevin Reynolds
GRP Program Specialist
Phone: 641-446-4135
Email: kevin.reynolds@ia.usda.gov