Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program
Inactive
- Assistance listing
- 10.913
- Agency
-
National Resources Conservation Service
Department of Agriculture
- Grant awards
- 474 $274,917,297 in federal obligations
Program facts
- Assistance types
-
- Project Grant
- Cooperative Agreement
- Block Grant
Program details come from SAM.gov Assistance Listings. Updated . Grant award figures come from USAspending.gov.
About this program
The Department of Agriculture National Resources Conservation Service funds conservation easement acquisition and related technical assistance through the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (CFDA 10.913), with the most recent grant award made on October 1, 2023.
The program has disbursed 474 grants totaling $274.9 million in federal dollars since 2001, though award volume has declined sharply. The program averaged 12 to 28 awards annually from 2019 to 2021, then dropped to 4 awards in 2022 and 1 award in 2023. Grant opportunities are not currently posted; the most recent opportunity visible in the source dates to June 2017.
Funded activities center on conservation easement acquisition to protect agricultural land from conversion to non-agricultural uses, with emphasis on land containing prime or unique soils and historical or archaeological resources. Representative recent awards funded support functions for easement administration and soil health evaluation rather than direct easement acquisition: a $3.8 million cooperative agreement to enable the Farmland Information Center to support practitioners saving agricultural land and expand online resources (October 2023); a $12.9 million cooperative agreement for transferring farms to a new generation (October 2022); and a $3.4 million cooperative agreement for easement review under the Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (September 2021). Smaller awards funded soil survey innovation, cover crop adoption, and conservation outreach to underserved and limited-resource farmers.
The program operates as a blend of Project Grants (56 percent, 264 awards) and Cooperative Agreements (44 percent, 209 awards), with one Block Grant. The National Resources Conservation Service is the sole funding agency. The combined total obligated (federal plus non-federal share) was $281 million, indicating modest recipient cost-share contributions of approximately $6.1 million across the portfolio.
Objective and description
- Objective
To provide funding to eligible entities to purchase conservation easements to limit conversion to non-agricultural uses of farm and ranch lands that contain prime, unique, or important soils; that contain historical and archaeological resources; or t
Grant opportunities
| Opportunity | Status | Posted | Applications due |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 NRCS Conservation Technical Assistance in Vermont | Closed |
Grant awards
Latest 10 of 474 listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Top recipients by federal obligations
| Rank | Recipient | Federal obligations | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The American Farmland Trust | $22,994,523 | 8% |
| 2 | New Jersey Conservation Foundation | $21,309,999 | 8% |
| 3 | Iowa State University Of Science And Technology | $7,000,000 | 3% |
| 4 | Auburn University | $6,000,000 | 2% |
| 5 | Town Of Little Compton | $4,807,934 | 2% |
| 6 | Vermont Housing And Conservation BRD | $4,268,815 | 2% |
| 7 | Texas A&M Agrilife Research | $3,955,099 | 1% |
| 8 | County Of Boulder | $3,852,560 | 1% |
8 of 218 recipients listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Federal obligations by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Federal obligations |
|---|---|
| FY2026 | -$8,321 |
| FY2023 | $3,776,891 |
| FY2022 | $19,542,463 |
| FY2021 | $37,319,920 |
| FY2020 | $55,535,685 |
| FY2019 | -$127,400 |
| FY2012 | $8,303,612 |
| FY2011 | $61,583,926 |
| FY2010 | $30,087,882 |
| FY2009 | $21,361,755 |
| FY2008 | $24,448,326 |
| FY2007 | $21,940,854 |
| FY2006 | $6,338,022 |
| FY2005 | $9,031,079 |
| FY2004 | $9,084,590 |
| FY2003 | $18,189,981 |
| FY2002 | $6,928,095 |
| FY2001 | $99,200 |
Show all 18
Quick answers
What is Assistance Listing 10.913?
Assistance Listing 10.913 is Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program, a federal grant program run by National Resources Conservation Service (Department of Agriculture). It is inactive.
What is the CFDA number for Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program?
Its CFDA number is 10.913: Assistance Listing numbers were called CFDA numbers before 2018.
How much funding has Assistance Listing 10.913 awarded?
474 grant awards under 10.913 have obligated $274,917,297 in federal funds to 218 recipients.
Who receives the most funding from 10.913?
The recipients obligated the most under Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program are The American Farmland Trust ($22,994,523), New Jersey Conservation Foundation ($21,309,999) and Iowa State University Of Science And Technology ($7,000,000).
Are there open grant opportunities under 10.913?
No opportunity listed under 10.913 is open now. The latest, 2017 NRCS Conservation Technical Assistance in Vermont, was posted on June 16, 2017.
On GovTribe
See this program's full record
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