Owners of grazing land can apply for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2010 Grassland Reserve Program, which aims to protect such private land from being converted to nonagricultural uses as a result of commercial and residential development. The deadline to sign up is March 12.

More than $700,000 is available in 2010 for Arkansas grassland owners to obtain permanent easements or multiyear rental contracts for grassland predominantly used for grazing or land in the Conservation Resource Program that expires in 2010. Participants voluntarily limit future development and cropping ...