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Farmland Protection Program <br />This program, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), provides <br />funds to help purchase conservation easements to keep productive farmland in <br />agricultural uses. USDA provides up to 50 percent of the fair market easement value. <br />To qualify, farmland must: be part of a pending offer from a State, tribe, or local <br />farmland protection program; be privately owned; have a conservation plan; be large <br />enough to sustain agricultural production; be accessible to markets for what the land <br />produces; have adequate infrastructure and agricultural support services; and have <br />surrounding parcels of land that can support long -term agricultural production. <br />Depending on funding availability, proposals must be submitted by the government <br />entities to the appropriate Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) State Office <br />during the application window. <br />Environmental Quality Incentives Program <br />This program, administered by the NRCS, provides technical, educational, and financial <br />assistance to eligible farmers and ranchers to address soil, water, and related natural <br />resource concerns on their lands in an environmentally beneficial and cost - effective <br />manner. The program provides assistance to farmers and ranchers in complying with <br />Federal, State, and tribal environmental laws, and encourages environmental <br />enhancement. The purposes of the program are achieved through the implementation <br />of a conservation plan. Five- to ten -year contracts are made with eligible producers. <br />Cost -share payments may be made to implement one or more eligible structural or <br />vegetative practices. Incentive payments can be made to implement one or more land <br />management practices. <br />Forest Legacy Program <br />A federal program administered by the U.S. Forest Service through grants to state <br />forestry departments for acquisition of conservation easements on privately held <br />forested areas. These easements typically restrict development and require sustainable <br />forestry practices. The federal government may fund up to 75 percent of program costs, <br />with at least 25 percent coming from private, state, or local sources. <br />Oregon recently became eligible for benefits this program and stands to receive <br />discretionary Fiscal Year 2002 funds ( October 2001 — September 2002) to implement <br />the program. Oregon's recently completed Assessment of Need ranked the Eugene - <br />Springfield as its highest priority Legacy Area. <br />Open Space Acquisition Funding and Protection Strategies — Draft October 2001 <br />