[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 163 (Wednesday, August 21, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43226-43228]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-21342]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Commodity Credit Corporation


Farmland Protection Program

AGENCY: Commodity Credit Corporation, United States Department of 
Agriculture (USDA).

ACTION: Notice of Request of Proposals (RFP).

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SUMMARY: Section 388 of the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform 
Act of 1996 (the 1996 Act) established the Farmland Protection Program 
(FPP). The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) administers the FPP under 
the general supervision of the Vice President of the CCC who is the 
Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). CCC is 
requesting proposals from States, Tribes, and units of local government 
to cooperate in the acquisition of conservation easements or other 
interests in prime, unique, or other productive soil for the purpose of 
limiting non-agricultural uses of that land.

DATES: Proposals must be received by September 13, 1996.

ADDRESSES:  Please send proposals to Ann E. Carey, Director, Community 
Assistance and Resource Development Division, Natural Resources 
Conservation Service, P.O. Box 2890, Washington, DC 20013-2890. Fax: 
202-690-0639; e-mail: [email protected]. Attention: FPPRFP.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
 Ann E. Cary, Director, Community Assistance and Resource Development 
Division, Natural Resources Conservation Service, phone: 202-720-2847; 
fax: 202-690-0639; e-mail: [email protected]. Attention: FPP.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Availability of Funding in Fiscal Year 1996

    Effective on the date of publication of this notice, the CCC will 
accept proposals from States, Tribes, and units of local government 
that have pending offers with landowners for the acquisition of 
conservation easements or other interests in land that contains prime, 
unique, or other productive soils. The pending offers must be for the 
purpose of protecting topsoil by limiting non-agricultural uses of the 
land. CCC will evaluate the merits of the requests for participation 
utilizing criteria described in this notice and will enter into 
cooperative agreements with the States, Tribes, or units of local 
government that have proposals that CCC determines will effectively 
meet the objectives of the FPP. CCC must receive proposals for 
participation by September 13, 1996.

Background

    According to the 1987 Census of Agriculture, one-third of the 
Nation's agricultural products are produced in metropolitan counties 
containing large cities. Another one-fourth of these agricultural 
products are produced in counties adjacent to significant urban 
populations. Historically, American settlements were located in areas 
where the land was most productive. Consequently, some of the Nation's 
most valuable and productive farmland is located in urban and 
developing areas. Nearly 85 percent of domestic fruit and vegetable 
production and 80 percent of our dairy products come from urban-
influenced areas.
    These areas are continually threatened by rapid development and 
urban sprawl. Several social and economic changes over the past three 
decades have influenced the rate at which land is converted to urban 
uses. Population growth and shifts in age distribution, the economy, 
and transportation have contributed to changes in agricultural land 
conversion rates. Urban sprawl has been a major cause of farmland 
development. Since 1960, an average of 1.5 million acres of farmland 
have been converted to other uses each year.
    The gross acreage of farmland converted to urban development is not 
necessarily the most troubling concern. A greater cause for concern is 
the quality of farmland that is being converted. In most States, prime 
farmland is being converted at 2 to 4 times the rate of other less-
productive land. In addition, as development does occur, remaining 
acreage is placed under a greater environmental, economic, and social 
strain as agrarian and urbanizing interests compete. For the 
agricultural producer, increasing costs of production and liability 
risks are harmful byproducts of urban development. In addition, 
remaining acreage must be farmed more intensively, generating adverse 
impacts on water quality and soil health. For urban dwellers, issues 
such as pesticide overspray, animal nutrient odors, and noise are 
important concerns.
    There is, therefore, an important national interest in the 
protection of farmland. Once developed, productive farmland with rich 
topsoil may be lost forever. Food security for the Nation must be taken 
into account. Agricultural lands are important components of historic 
landscapes and are equally important simply for their scenic beauty.

Legislative History

    In the 1980 Farm Bill, Congress passed the Farmland Protection 
Policy Act (FPPA) (Pub. L. 97-98, Title XV, Subtitle I; 7 U.S.C. 4201-
4209), which began the Federal government's effort to protect farmland 
from urbanization. Under this program, Federal agencies are required to 
evaluate the impacts of federally funded programs on converting 
farmland to non-agricultural uses, and consider alternative actions 
that would lessen the adverse impacts.
    In 1990, Congress enacted the Farms for the Future (FFF) Act 
(Chapter 2, Subtitle E, Title XIV of the Food, Agriculture, 
Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990, Pub. L. 101-624) which authorized 
the Agricultural Resource Conservation Demonstration Program. This 
program provided guaranteed loans and subsidized interest payments to 
help States finance farmland protection efforts. The USDA received 
funding appropriations for fiscal years 1992-94. Vermont was the only 
State to qualify for funding under FFF. No funds were appropriated for 
fiscal years 1995 and 1996. The program's statutory authority expires 
on September 30, 1996.

The Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996

    Enacted on April 4, 1996, section 388 of the 1996 Act directs the 
Secretary of Agriculture to establish and carry out the FPP. Under this 
program, the USDA

[[Page 43227]]

will purchase conservation easements or other interests in land with 
prime, unique, or other productive soil that is subject to a pending 
offer from a State or local government for the purpose of protecting 
topsoil by limiting non-agricultural uses of the land.

Overview of the Farmland Protection Program

    The FPP is intended to supplement State and local farmland 
programs. CCC will administer FPP through existing delivery systems. 
The NRCS is the agency responsible for administering the FPP in the 
field. The 1996 Act made up to $35 million of funds available through 
the CCC to purchase easements or other interests with States, Tribes, 
or local agencies for farmland protection. The NRCS also encourage 
State and local entities to start new farmland protection programs by 
putting in place a superstructure and soliciting offers in order to be 
eligible for FPP program benefits.
    NRCS State Conservationists may consult with the State Technical 
Committee (established pursuant to 16 U.S.C. 3861) and review the 
requests for participation for consistency with USDA priorities by 
using a ranking system (see discussion below), such as the Land 
Evaluation and Site Assessment (LESA) or other site evaluation and 
ranking systems to determine: the likelihood of conversion considering 
developmental pressure, zoning, utility availability, and other related 
factors; the quality of the land considering the soils, economic 
viability, size and product sales; and other factors including its 
historical, scenic and environmental qualities.
    Once all proposals for participation have been received, the Chief 
of NRCS, as a Vice President of the CCC, will authorize cooperative 
agreements to be developed by September 30, 1996, spelling out terms of 
the FPP for each proposal accepted. Allocation of the funds to the 
cooperating entities will be made by weighing such factors as the 
number of pending offers, the total number of eligible acres included 
in the offers, the capability of each entity to fund at least half of 
the acquisition costs of each of the offers selected for funding, the 
value of such offers, and the relative urgency of each offer.
    To be selected for participation in the FPP, a pending offer must 
provide for the acquisition of an easement or other interests in land 
for a minimum duration of 30 years, with priority given to those offers 
providinn. If a pending offer is selected for participation in the FPP, 
the conveyance document used by the State or local program will contain 
a reversionary clause. The reversionary clause will provide that all 
rights conveyed by the landowner under the document will become vested 
in the United States should the State or local program abandon or 
terminate the exercise of the rights so acquired. As a condition for 
participation, all lands enrolled shall be encompassed by a 
conservation plan developed and implemented according to the NRCS Field 
Office Technical Guide.

Eligible State, Tribal, or Local Farmland Protection Programs

    A State, Tribe, or unit of local government that has a farmland 
protection program that purchases agricultural conservation easements 
for the purpose of protecting topsoil by limiting non-agricultural uses 
of land and that has pending offers may apply for participation as a 
cooperating entity with the FPP. A State, Tribe, or local program may 
apply for participation by submitting responses to the RFP to Ann E. 
Carey, Director, Community Assistance and Resource Development 
Division, NRCS.
    NRCS will evaluate the State, Tribe, or local program based on the 
conservation benefits that are derived from such farmland protection 
efforts. An eligible State, Tribe, or local farmland protection program 
must: (1) Have demonstrated commitment to a long-term conservation of 
agricultural lands through legal devices, such as right-to-farm laws, 
agricultural districts, zoning, or land use plans; (2) use voluntary 
easements or other legal devices to protect farmland from conversion to 
non-agricultural uses; and (3) demonstrate a capability to acquire, 
manage, and enforce rights in land and interests in land. To avoid 
double counting, local and county programs must coordinate their 
proposals with each other and the State program, if their jurisdictions 
overlap.

Eligible Land

    NRCS shall determine whether the farmland is eligible for 
enrollment and whether, once found eligible, the lands may be included 
in the program. The following land, if subject to a pending offer by a 
State, Tribe, or unit of local government, is eligible for enrollment 
in the FPP: (1) Land with prime, unique, or other productive soil; and 
(2) Other incidental land that would not otherwise be eligible, but 
when considered as part of a pending offer, NRCS determines that the 
inclusion of such land would significantly augment the protection of 
the associated farmland. The definition of prime, unique, or other 
productive soil can be found in section 1540(c)(1) of the FPPA, 7 
U.S.C. 4201(c)(1).
    NRCS will only consider enrolling eligible land in the program that 
is configured in a size and with boundaries that allow for the 
efficient management of the area for the purposes of FPP. The land must 
have access to markets for its products, an infrastructure appropriate 
for agricultural production, and agricultural support services. NRCS 
will not enroll land that is owned in fee title by an agency of the 
United States, or land that is already subject to an easement or deed 
restriction that limits the conversion of the land to non-agricultural 
use. NRCS will not enroll otherwise eligible lands if NRCS determines 
that the protection provided by FPP would not be effective because of 
on-site or off-site conditions.

Proposals

    Proposals submitted by a cooperating entity must include an 
overview of the program, the amount and source of funds available for 
easement acquisition, the parameters and their values used to set the 
acquisition priorities, and a listing of the offers including: (1) The 
priority of the pending offer; (2) the land parcel and its location; 
(3) the size of the parcel in acres; (4) the acres of the prime, 
unique, or other productive soil in the parcel; (5) the price offered 
by the landowner; (6) the proposed acquisition costs of the easement; 
(7) the type of easement to be used; (8) an indication of the 
accessibility to markets; (9) an indication of an existing agricultural 
infrastructure and other support system; (10) the level of threat from 
urban development; (11) other factors, such as LESA or other evaluation 
and assessment system, used for setting priorities for easement 
acquisition by the entity.

Ranking Considerations

    Pending offers by a State, Tribe, or unit of local government must 
be for the acquisition of an easement or other interest in land for a 
minimum duration of 30 years. NRCS shall place priority on acquiring 
easements or other interests in land that provide the longest period of 
protection from conversion to non-agricultural use. NRCS may place 
higher priority where lands and locations are found to be the highest 
priority lands and locations by the States, Tribes, or units of local 
government based on an evaluation using the Land Evaluation and Site 
Assessment (LESA) system or other site evaluation and ranking system.

[[Page 43228]]

    NRCS may also place higher priority on certain geographic regions 
or other factors where enrollment of particular lands may better 
achieve NRCS State and regional goals and objectives, or where 
participation would further existing governmental or private 
conservation projects. NRCS will give preference to acquisition of 
easements or interests in land where the cooperating entity shares the 
greater costs of enrolling such land.

Cooperative Agreements

    The CCC will use a cooperative agreement with a State, Tribe, or 
unit of local government as the mechanism for participation in the FPP. 
The cooperative agreement will address: (1) The interests in land to be 
acquired; (2) the management and enforcement of rights; (3) the 
technical assistance that may be provided by the NRCS; (4) the holder 
of the easement or other interests in the land enrolled in the FPP; and 
(5) other requirements deemed necessary by CCC to protect the interests 
of the United States.

    Signed at Washington, DC, on August 16, 1996.
Paul Johnson,
Vice President, Commodity Credit Corporation, Chief, Natural Resources 
Conservation Service.
[FR Doc. 96-21342 Filed 8-20-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-16-M