NRCS N.H and UVLT Announces Second RCPP Signup for the 2024 Upper Valley Farmland Protection Initiative

DOVER, N.H. (January 23, 2024) – Today the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS) in New Hampshire, along with its partner, the Upper Valley Land Trust (UVLT), has announced a second signup period for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024's Upper Valley Farmland Protection Initiative under the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). 

Applications for this RCPP must be received by February 23, 2024, under this signup period.

While applications are accepted year-round, only applications submitted by February 23 will be considered for this funding round. Applications received after February 23 will be considered during the next funding cycle.

The Upper Valley Farmland Protection Initiative RCPP provides eligible private landowners in UVLT’s service area in Grafton and Sullivan Counties the opportunity to conserve productive agricultural lands and forestlands under the Agricultural Land Easements (ALE) part of the NRCS's Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP).  Under ACEP-ALE, landowners are compensated for enrolling their land into the easement program. 

The goal of this RCPP is to stem the conversion and loss of vitally important agricultural and forestland while contributing to water quality and soil health protection. This is a unique opportunity to accelerate the pace of farmland conservation in the Upper Valley region of New Hampshire.  

This partner-driven effort seeks to increase producer participation in the ACEP-ALE program to permanently conserve viable farmland for protecting water quality and improving soil health. This program prioritizes three strategic areas; farms located near impaired waters; where there are low percentages of protected farms; and where historically underserved producers lack resources for improvements.  

Applications will be reviewed in accordance with the ACEP-ALE program rules and policies.  Only properly completed and executed applications submitted on appropriate forms by the application cutoff dates, and accompanied by all required supporting documentation, will be considered for funding in this round.

All eligible landowners interested in applying with UVLT to ACEP-ALE in FY 2024 may contact Peg Merrens, UVLT Vice President for Conservation, at peg.merrens@uvlt.org for more information. 

Upper Valley Land Trust's service area is located within Grafton and Sullivan Counties and includes Lebanon, Enfield, Grafton, Hanover, Canaan, Orange, Lyme, Dorchester, Orford, Piermont, Haverhill, Bath, Plainfield, Grantham, Cornish, Croydon, Claremont, Newport, Charlestown, and Unity.

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