The Conservation Reserve Program is a voluntary land conservation program established in 1985. Its long term goal is to improve water quality, prevent soil erosion, and reduce loss of wildlife habitat through the removal of environmentally sensitive lands from agricultural production. The contracts through the Farm Service Administration (FSA) provide yearly rental payments to farmers who enroll in the program. These contracts are ten to fifteen years in length and insure improvements in environmental health and quality through the conversion of agricultural land back to natural or semi-natural vegetative cover.
The Grassland Reserve Program (GRP) is a voluntary program that assists farmers and ranchers to maintain grasslands as grazing land and prevent conversion of grassland into other uses, such as cropping or urban development. The program focuses on supporting working grazing operations, protecting grassland, and enhancing biodiversity through provision of habitat. Normal haying and grazing activities are allowed under GRP. Producers must also restore and maintain appropriate grasses, forbs, and shrubs and address resource concerns such as soil erosion. The 2002 Farm Bill established the GRP, which is administered jointly by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Farm Service Agency, and the Forest Service.
All states in the Intermountain West assess farms and ranches at their agricultural use value. Some states extend some form of preferential use value assessment to land managed for its value for wildlife, natural resource conservation, outdoor recreation, and open space -not just for commodity production. Property tax laws and assessment practices in other states create obstacles for landowners who want to manage their private land for natural resource conservation or diversified, land-based revenues.