Farmland Protection Program

Fact Sheet

Introduction

The Farmland Protection Program (FPP) is a voluntary program that helps farmers keep their land in agriculture. The program provides matching funds to state, local, or tribal government entities and nongovernmental organizations with existing farmland protection programs to purchase conservation easements. The goal of the program is to protect between 170,000 and 340,000 acres of farmland. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has been designated as the lead agency in implementing this program.

How FPP works

USDA partners with state, tribal, and local governments or nongovernmental organizations to acquire conservation easements from landowners. Participating landowners choose to keep their land in agriculture and agree not to convert the land for nonagricultural use. Landowners retain all rights to use the property for agriculture. All lands enrolled must have a conservation plan developed based on the standards in the NRCS Field Office Technical Guide.

Applications for FPP come from states, tribes, or local governments and nongovernmental organizations that have existing farmland protection programs. Although a minimum of 30 years is required for conservation easements, priority is given to applications with perpetual easements.

Eligibility

To qualify for FPP, the land offered must be:

• Prime, unique, or other productive soil;
• Included in 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.

If the land cannot be converted to nonagricultural uses because of existing deed restrictions or other legal constraints, it is ineligible for FPP.

Funding

Funds for FPP come from the Federal Government’s Commodity Credit Corporation, which funds several USDA conservation programs. Since 1996, total funding for FPP has been more than $50 million.

For More Information

NRCS, the Farm Service Agency, Extension Service, or local conservation district can provide more information. Local USDA Service Centers are listed in the telephone book under U.S. Department of Agriculture. Information also is available on the Web at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/fpp/.

June 2001

< Back to the Farmland Protection Program