NRCS Colorado Grassland Reserve Program/GRP

Overview

The Grassland Reserve Program (GRP) is a voluntary program offering landowners the opportunity to protect, restore, and enhance grasslands on their property. Section 2403 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Pub. L. 110-246) reauthorized GRP. The program emphasizes support for working grazing operations, enhancement of plant and animal biodiversity, and protection of grasslands that are under threat of conversion to cropping, urban development and other activities. Participants voluntarily limit future development of the land, while retaining the right to conduct common grazing practices and operations using rental contracts and conservation easements. Priority enrollment consideration will be given to Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contracts that are within 12 months of expiration.

GRP is jointly administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA) and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). (The USDA Forest Service also has a role in holding easements on land adjacent to National Forests, at its discretion.)

The program has two enrollment options; (1) permanent easements and (2) rental contracts with terms of 10-, 15-, or 20-year terms. Enrollment of eligible expiring CRP lands into GRP will be limited to perpetual easements or 20-year rental contracts.

Grasslands make up the largest land cover on America's private lands. Privately-owned grasslands and shrublands cover more than 525 million acres in the United States. The U.S. Department of Agriculture will direct financial resources and technical expertise to help landowners protect and restore these lands. Go to the NRCS National website for additional information about this program.

2011 Colorado GRP Program

The final rule to implement the Grassland Reserve Program (GRP) was published in the Federal Register November 29, 2010. The Natural Resources Conservation Service and Farm Service Agency jointly implement GRP, which provides landowners with technical and financial assistance to restore and protect grassland, rangeland, pastureland, shrub land and certain other lands, through rental contracts and easements.

These documents require Adobe Acrobat Reader.

GRP Fact Sheet
GRP Conservation Easement Deed

These documents require Microsoft Word Reader.

2011 GRP Announcement
GRP Landowner Offer Sheet
2011 GRP Cooperating Entity Announcement

This document requires Microsoft Excel.

GRP 2011 Screen & Ranking Tool

NRCS Colorado GRP Program Contact

<Back to NRCS Programs

Last Modified: 05/30/2012