GRP Ranking Criteria

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1.  Grazing Management
     (Select one response.  Award no points if offer meets none of the criteria.)

a) Producer currently follows a NRCS standard prescribed grazing system
    (utilize Prescribed Grazing Checklist for verification).  (25 pts.)

b) Producer is willing to follow a NRCS standard prescribed grazing system.
    The    operation currently has a stocking rate that makes implementing a
     prescribed grazing system feasible. C-graze indicates that the herd
     requires no more than 30% external feed is provided.  (20 pts.)

c) Producer is willing to follow a NRCS standard prescribed grazing system.
    It will be    necessary to reduce the current stocking rate in order to make
    implementing a    prescribed grazing system feasible. C-graze indicates
    that the herd requires at    least 30% external feed is provided.  (10 pts.)

2.  Threat of Conversion
     (Select one response.  Award no points if offer meets none of the criteria.)

a) Offered land is located outside a municipality’s Extra-Territorial
     Jurisdiction (ETJ) or beyond existing water/sewer service;
     but is within 10 miles of those areas.  (10pts.)

b) Offered land is located more than 10 miles from any municipality’s
    ETJ, or existing water/sewer service.  (5 pts.)

3.  Forage Diversity
     (Select one response.  Award no points if offer meets none of the criteria.)

a) Currently two or more species of forages, including warm and cool
    season grasses, are utilized as forage to encourage year round
    grazing on the offered land.  (10 pts.)

b) Producer is willing to establish and begin managing two or more species
    of forages, including warm and cool season grasses, to encourage
    year round grazing.  (5 pts.)

4.  Grazing Viability
     (Select one response.  Award no points if offer meets none of the criteria.)

a) The applicant currently provides direct sale of food or fiber derived
    from the offered grazing land.  (10 pts.)

b) Offered acres are located within 1 mile of other grazing
    operations.  (5 pts.)

5.  Supporting Land Protection Strategy
     (Select one response.  Award no points if offer meets none of the criteria.)

a) Offered acres are located within 1 mile of other privately owned,
    permanently protected land. (10 pts.)

b) Land is offered for enrollment as a permanent easement.  (5 pts.)

6.  Conserving Unique Natural Resources
     (Select and award points for all appropriate responses.  Include
     documentation for each point award in the case file.)

The offered acres include or are contiguous with:          

a) Waters that are designated one of the following: “High Quality Waters”,
    “Outstanding Resource Water”, “Natural, Scenic or Recreational River”.
     (5 pts.)
     The NC Div. of Water Quality designates HQWs and ORWs on:
     http://h2o.enr.state.nc.us/bims/reports/reportsWB.html .  The NC Division
     of Parks and Recreation designates Natural, Scenic and Recreational
     Rivers on: http://www.ncparks.gov/About/system_rivers.php.

b) “Designated Public Mountain Trout Waters”.    (5 pts.)
    NC Wildlife Resources Commission signs are clearly posted
    along those designated public trout waters.

c) Designated “critical habitat”.    (5 pts.)
    USFWS T&E species recovery plans indentify critical habitats.
    Contact the Area or  State Biologist for assistance in the determination.

d) A “natural heritage element occurrence” record.    (5 pts.)
    Published county Natural Heritage Inventories and the NCNHP’s Element
    Occurrence Database identify those resources.  Contact the Area or
    State Biologist for assistance in the determination.

e) A historic structure that has been nominated, or listed in the “National
    Historic Register of Historic Places”.    (5 pts.)
    View North Carolina’s list of national register sites on:
    http://www.hpo.ncdcr.gov/nrlist.htm

7.  Partnership Contribution or Bargain Sale

a) 50% or greater of offered tract’s appraised value is promised as match
    by another entity or the applicant offers a bargain sale at or below 50%
    of appraised value.  (10 pts.)

________  Total Points Awarded

Completed By: __________________________________________    Date:_______________________

Last Modified 05/26/2009

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