Grassland Reserved Program Applications are being Accepted

Morgantown, WV— USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has received $956,410.dollars in financial assistance  for the 2005 Grassland Reserved Program (GRP) in West Virginia. Landowners may apply for GRP at any time however, applications received after Jan. 30, 2005 will be considered for the next evaluation period.

The GRP is a voluntary program that helps landowners and operators restore and protect grassland, while maintaining the areas as grazing lands. The program places heavy emphasis in protecting grasslands under the greatest threat of conversion. Conversion issues include the loss of grassland to urban land, cropland, or grassland being loss to invasive species. In 2004, $850,468 in funding was available to protect 511 acres.  

In West Virginia, eligible land for GRP includes; grasslands, land that historically was dominated by grasslands and forbs, and certain lands in planned rotations. GRP applications are evaluated and ranked to determine which applications provide the most environmental benefits and best meets program specific goals. There are no maximum limitations on the amount of land that may be offered for GRP. However, landowners with eligible land must submit a minimum of 40 contiguous acres to be considered for GRP according to the provisions in the law.

Primarily, land enrolled in GRP is prohibited from being cropped or developed. Prohibited crop production includes commodity and non-commodity crops, such as, vineyards and fruit trees. Prohibited development includes: housing, upgrading existing farm roads, construction of new buildings or structures, placement of billboard signs, and installing new utilities.

The payment process for GRP depends on the enrollment option. Payments for rental agreements are made annually and are based on the soil rental rates, which vary from county to county.  Payments for easements are based on appraised values.

Interested landowners are encouraged to visit their local NRCS district conservationist and review the application and ranking criteria. GRP applications are evaluated and ranked to determine which applications provide the most environmental benefits and best meets program specific goals.

For more information, please contact your local USDA Service Center, listed in the telephone book under U.S. Department of Agriculture, or your local conservation district. Information also is available on the World Wide Web at: http://www.wv.nrcs.usda.gov/