Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP)

The Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP) is a voluntary program that helps farmers and ranchers keep their land in agriculture. Participating landowners agree not to convert their land to non-agricultural uses and to develop and implement a conservation plan for any highly erodible land.

Working through existing programs, USDA joins with state, tribal or local governments and/or non-governmental organizations to acquire conservation easements from willing landowners. To participate, a landowner submits an application to an entity that has an existing farmland protection program.

To qualify, the land offered must:

• contain 50% or more prime, unique or other productive soil, or historical or archaeological resources meriting protection (see Understanding Soil and Cultural Resource Eligibility Criteria for more information)
• be included in a pending offer from a state, tribal or local government or non-governmental organization's farmland protection program
• be privately owned
• be covered by a conservation plan for any highly erodible land
• be able to sustain agricultural production
• be accessible to markets for what the land produces
• be surrounded by parcels of land that can support long-term agricultural production

The following documents require Adobe Acrobat

Fiscal Year 2007 Application Period

Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program  (PDF; 134 KB) - Announcement of Program Funding, Proposals Due: April 27, 2007


Fiscal Year 2007 Ranking Sheet (PDF; 55 KB)

In New Mexico we have developed the following mandatory materials to help ensure proposals which address the New Mexico ranking criteria:

FRPP Application Checklist and Supporting Documentation (PDF; 27 KB)

Additionally, the following informational materials are available to help address applicants' frequently asked questions (FAQs):

FRPP Cash Requirements (PDF; 54 KB)

 Understanding Soil and Cultural Resource Eligibility Criteria

Additional FAQ's will be added on an as needed basis. If you have questions or comments on this program, please contact Seth Fiedler (seth.fiedler@nm.usda.gov), USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, 6200 Jefferson St NE, Albuquerque, NM 87112.