Agriculture News
Funding available for Texas grassland owners
The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is accepting applications to participate in USDA's Grassland Reserve Program (GRP), a $4.6 million conservation program in Texas.
“While GRP is open to anyone who owns grassland, we are giving priority consideration to threatened areas of Texas so ranchers can protect their land resources through rental agreements or perpetual easements,” said Don Gohmert, NRCS state conservationist in Texas.
GRP is a continuous sign-up program, but landowners are encouraged to apply as soon as possible to be eligible for the initial funding cycle, which begins Feb. 1.
The NRCS and USDA Farm Service Agency administer GRP, a voluntary program reauthorized in the 2008 Farm Bill to protect grazing uses and other related conservation values by restoring and conserving eligible grasslands and certain other lands through rental agreements and easements.
The enrollment options for GRP include:
• Rental agreements — 10, 15, or 20-year duration, USDA pays 75 percent of the grazing value in annual payments for the length of the agreement.
• Permanent easements — USDA makes payment based on the fair market value of the property less the grazing value.
Land that is privately owned is eligible for GRP. The land must be grassland for which the predominant use is grazing. Land that has been historically dominated by grassland and provides habitat for animal or plant populations of significant ecological value, or land that contains historical or archeological resources is eligible.
Land previously enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program is eligible for GRP. Publicly owned land is not eligible or land already under protection from conversion to non-grazing uses is also not eligible.
For more information about GRP and conservation programs that may be available for conservation technical and financial assistance, visit the nearest USDA Service Center or visit the NRCS Texas Web site at www.tx.nrcs.usda.gov.
- Agriculture News
-
-
More regulations
Recently the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) set its sights on possibly tightening its regulation of dust as part of the Clean Air Act.
-
Set criteria when culling cows from herd
A railroad claims official once said that trains have done more harm to the genetic quality of America's cow herds than anything else. He said every cow that ever met her doom on a rural track was invariably the best, most productive cow in the plaintiff's herd. Often, the deceased cow was "nursing twins and close to calving again" just before her demise. It makes you wonder how much better our industry would be today if it hadn't been for this accidental culling over the last century and a half. I guess we're still making up for this lost genetic ground in our breeding and selection programs.
-
Leon County to hold estate tax seminar
What is the Death Tax?
The death tax (a.k.a., the federal estate tax) is a tax applied to the transfer of a person's assets at death. It is defined by the Internal Revenue Service as “a tax on your right to transfer property at your death.”[1] -
Outstanding Tree Farm tour set for Sept. 11 in Cherokee County
Phillip and Norleine Power, in partnership with the Texas Forestry Association will host a Field Day and Forestry Tour at their Tree Farm located in Cherokee County, Texas, on Saturday, Sept. 11..
-
Voluntary cattle program could enhance marketing
A new voluntary cattle health program can help ranchers market their breeding animals by reassuring buyers that bulls are free of cattle trichomoniasis, an infection that can be spread during breeding, and which can cause cows to abort and take a long time to become pregnant again.
-
Grant seeks to make vegetables safer
COLLEGE STATION — A team of food safety researchers led by Texas A&M University's Dr. Elsa Murano has received a $1 million U.S. Department of Agriculture grant to find ways to protect fruits and vegetables.
-
Federal money available for Longleaf Pine forest owners
TEMPLE — Longleaf pine forests once covered much of East Texas — and they could again thanks to a federal program offering money to landowners who grow the trees on their property.
-
The value of a front loader
The most popular attachment for a farm tractor in our area, by far, is the front loader.
-
Take precautions to avoid heat stress in cattle
As the mercury dashes over 100 degrees ranchers and others who deal with livestock should work to reduce stress on the animals as much as possible.
-
New Mexico man accused of stealing 200 cattle
PHOENIX (AP) — A New Mexico man is accused of stealing 200 head of cattle from an Arizona ranch, packing them into trailers, then moving them out of state.
- More Agriculture News Headlines
-
More regulations
