United States Department of Agriculture
Natural Resources Conservation Service		 Caribbean Area Go to Accessibility Information
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Grassland Reserve Program
Caribbean Area Sign-Up and Application Information

Updated 10/29/2007

The Grassland Reserve Program (GRP) is a voluntary conservation program that helps private land owners and operators restore and protect grassland, including rangeland and pastureland.

Emphasis for enrollment into the program is on:

  • Support for active grazing operations,
  • Plant and animal biodiversity, and
  • Grasslands under the greatest threat of conversion.

The GRP was authorized in the 2002 Farm Bill and is administered jointly by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the USDA Farm Services Agency (FSA), in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service.

Enrollment Options

Applicants have the option of choosing either an easement option or a multi-year rental agreement.

Easements

Participants may choose either a permanent or a 30-year easement. USDA will provide all administrative costs associated with recording the easement, including appraisal fees, survey costs, title insurance, and recording fees.

  • Permanent easement - a perpetual easement equal to the fair market value, less the grazing value of the land encumbered by the easement (as determined by an appraisal).
  • 30-year easement - USDA will provide an easement payment equal to 30 percent of the fair market value of the land, less the grazing value of the land for the period during which the land is encumbered by the easement.
Rental Agreements

Participants may choose a 10-, 15-, 20-, or a 30-year contract. USDA provides annual payments in an amount that is not more than 75 percent of the grazing value of the land covered by the agreement for the life of the agreement.

Caribbean Area Rental Rates are $15.50 for all counties.

If restoration is determined necessary by NRCS, a restoration agreement will be incorporated within the rental agreement or easement. For 2005, USDA sought applications that did not require restoration.

Application/Sign-Up Period

Applications for the Grassland Reserve Program (GRP) were accepted at USDA Service Centers on a continuous basis with one or more ranking and selection periods per fiscal year. The GRP sign-up  cut-off date for 2005 funding consideration in Caribbean Area was March 25, 2005.

Ranking

Applications were evaluated and selected based on a ranking score determined from the state ranking criteria.  For 2005, priority was given to applications under the greatest threat of conversion and that do not require restoration efforts.

For More Information
Contact

José A. Castro Lopez
Phone: 787-766-5206 x. 226

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