Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP)

Overview

Protecting farmland from permanent conversion to non-agricultural land uses in West Virginia is at a critical stage. The state has limited prime farmland acreage and the loss of each acre has a more profound impact upon the rural economy, rural lifestyle, and farm families than in any other state. For this reason the legislature passed the states’ Voluntary Farmland Protection Act in 2000 to complement the Federal Farm and Ranch land Protection Program. Counties and the State can cooperate with local land trusts and landowners to purchase voluntarily offered agricultural conservation easements that permanently reserve these lands for farming. In 2002 the NRCS State Conservationist was able to provide $400,000 in Federal Farm and Ranch land Protection Funds to purchase easements on 780 acres of land valued at $1,298,900. In 2003, $977,536 in federal FRPP funds were provided to protect 1,231 acres of farmland with an easement value of $2.76 million. In 2004, $1,599,511 in federal FRPP funds were provided to protect 1,782 acres of farmland with an easement value of $5.4 million. In 2005, $1.98 million in federal FRPP were provided to purchase easements on 1,429 acres of farmland with an easement value of $5.8 million. In 2006, $1.87 million in federal FRPP funds were provided to protect 1,035 acres of farmland with an easement value of $3.77 million. Each year more landowners in the state submit proposals than NRCS is able to fund. This level of interest is expected to grow in future years as counties develop their programs and the state program becomes fully operational.

2006 Accomplishments

In 2006, $1,886,185 in federal FRPP funds were provided to protect 1,035 acres of farmland with an easement value of $3.772,370. Since 2002, 51 farms totaling 6,257 acres have been entered into the program. Other related relationships have been formed between the Canaan Valley Institute and the WV Department of Agriculture and the State Farmland Protection Authority to protect watersheds and farmlands through farm and ranchland protection.

Also, partnerships with the WV Land Trust and the Nature Conservancy as well as the WV Coalition of Land Trusts have led to joint support of farmland protection efforts in the state and the formation of the Association of WV Farmland Protection Programs. See link for more information: http://www.wvfarmlandprotection.org/

The National FRPP program website is at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/frpp/.

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