Rolnictwo i rynki · 29/10/2002

Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program

This proposed rule sets forth the policies implementing the farmland protection program. The Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 repealed the Farmland Protection Program (FPP), established by the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996, and authorized a new farmland protection program. The new program will be called the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP) to both distinguish it from the repealed program and to better describe the types of land the program seeks to protect. Under the FRPP, the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), is authorized, on behalf of the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) and under its authorities, to purchase conservation easements for the purpose of protecting topsoil by limiting nonagricultural uses of the land. As set forth in this proposed rulemaking, NRCS proposes to continue to administer FRPP using the same request for application (RFA) process to announce funding availability that it has used since authorization of the Farmland Protection Program in 1996. NRCS seeks comments from the public on this proposed rule.