Establishing priorities, ranking considerations, and project selection.

CFR · 2024-01-01 · US · Title 7

(a) NRCS will use national and State criteria to rank and select eligible parcels for funding. The national ranking criteria will comprise at least half of the ranking score. The State criteria will be developed by NRCS on a State-by-State basis, with input from the State technical committee. The weighting of ranking criteria, including adjustments to account for geographic differences, will be developed to maximize the benefit of the Federal investment under the program. Parcels are ranked and selected for funding at the State level. (b) The national ranking criteria are— (1) Percent of prime, unique, and other important farmland soils in the parcel to be protected; (2) Percent of cropland, rangeland, grassland, historic grassland, pastureland, or nonindustrial private forest land in the parcel to be protected; (3) Ratio of the total acres of land in the parcel to be protected to average farm size in the county according to the most recent USDA Census of Agriculture; (4) Decrease in the percentage of acreage of farm and ranch land in the county in which the parcel is located between the last two USDA Censuses of Agriculture; (5) Percent population growth in the county as documented by the United States Census; (6) Population density (population per square mile) as documented by the most recent United States Census; (7) Existence of a farm or ranch succession plan or similar plan established to address agricultural viability for future generations; (8) Proximity of the parcel

official document · source cfr-2024 · id 7:§ 1468.22