Farm Bill
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2008 NRCS Farm Bill Conservation Programs
The conservation provisions in the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (2008 Farm Bill) will provide conservation opportunities for farmers and ranchers for years to come. The new provisions build on the conservation gains made by farmers and ranchers through the 1985, 1996 and 2002 Farm Bills. They simplify existing programs and create new programs to address high priority environmental goals.
Under the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, authority to enroll new participants or enter new contracts for several conservation programs expired on September 30, 2012, including the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Initiative (CBWI), the Grassland Reserve Program (GRP), the Healthy Forest Reserve Program (HFRP), and the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP).
Beginning in Fiscal Year (FY) 2013, while NRCS will continue to service prior-year contracts and enrollments for these four programs, NRCS is not accepting applications for new contracts or enrollments at this time.
Conservation programs under the 2008 Farm Bill are:
Highlights and Announcements
February 10, 2012 - The Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program FRPP amended final rule and response to comments is available on the www.federalregister.gov website.
2008 NRCS Farm Bill Documents and Additional Information
Conservation Program Documents
At-a-Glances are one-page overviews of 2008 NRCS Farm Bill conservation programs and related topics.
Fact Sheets are detailed documents about 2008 NRCS Farm Bill conservation programs.
Civil Rights Impact Analyses (CRIAs) are detailed documents about potentially disproportionate adverse civil rights impacts on NRCS producers who are minorities, women or people with disabilities.
Benefit Cost Analyses discuss the benefits and costs of 2008 NRCS Farm Bill conservation programs.
