SUBJECT: LTP - Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) and Floodplain Easement Program

Indiana State Office
6013 Lakeside Boulevard
Indianapolis, Indiana 46278-2933

January22, 2013

INDIANA BULLETIN NO. 300-13-08

SUBJECT: LTP - Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) and Floodplain Easement Program

(EWP-FPE), Easement Compensation

Purpose: To provide easement compensation values for 2013

Expiration Date: September 30, 2013

Easement compensation for the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) and Floodplain Easement Program (EWP-FPE) will continue to use the lesser of the Geographic Area Rate Cap (GARC) or landowner offer for Fiscal Year 2013. An Area Wide Market Analysis was conducted in the summer of 2012 to determine the fair market value of land eligible for WRP. The results were used to establish new GARCs. The GARCS are used to provide financial compensation for the property rights being acquired by the United States Government through the easement. The easement does not purchase all property rights, therefore the GARC will always be less than the fair market value for the land (NPM 440.514.32).

For 2013, Indiana will use Regional GARC Rates based on the Area Wide Market Analysis. Compensation rates for Agricultural Land and Non-Agricultural land will be used for each region. If it has been greater than 10 years since offered land has been cropped or pastured, the Non-Agricultural Land rate should be used. Field offices are reminded to identify the region in which the proposed WRP easement is physically located for GARC calculations. In instances where a property is split across regional lines, the acreage on the property will be attributed the GARC for the region the acreage is located. Field offices should clearly mark on the application map where the property is split and how many acres of agricultural and non-agricultural land are in each GARC region.

The GARC values are applicable to all WRP and EWP-FPE related special initiatives/programs, including the Wetlands Reserve Enhancement Program (WREP), and Mississippi River Basin Initiative-Wetland Reserve Enhancement Program (WREP-MRBI).

The 2013 GARC values are applicable to any Agreement for Purchase offers made in 2013 and forward. Previous agreements obligated in Fiscal Year 2012 and earlier are not eligible for the new rates.

At this time, NRCS is authorized to take new WRP applications. However, NRCS currently does not have Technical or Financial Assistance Funds to enroll new easements. As a result, minimal TA resources should be spent on WRP applications, until such time as funds are available. If andwhen funding does become available, additional guidance will be released regarding Indiana’s Fiscal Year 2013 WRP Application Procedures. Therefore, while applications may be taken, rankings and due diligence activities (include title reviews and environmental records reviews) should not be completed at this time. The NRCS-CPA 1200 will continue to be the official application form for WRP.

If you have any questions regarding easement compensation procedures or the content of this bulletin, please contact Jill Reinhart, Acting Assistant State Conservationist-Farm Bill Programs at 317-295-5883 or Brianne Lowe, State Easement Program Specialist at 317-295-5834.

/s/

ROGER KULT

Acting State Conservationist

Attachment A: 2013 Indiana WRP/FPE GARC Rates Table

Attachment B: 2013 Indiana WRP/FPE GARC Rates Map