FACT SHEET

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

FARM SERVICE AGENCY

Page 1

May 2011

Biomass Crop Assistance Program – Project Area Number 1 Implemented for Western 

Missouri and Eastern Kansas County Biomass Producers

Overview

The Farm Service Agency (FSA) 

has announced the first Biomass 

Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) 

Project Area. BCAP Project 

Areas provide financial incentives 

to interested farmers, ranchers and 

forest land¬owners for the voluntary establishment and production 

of biomass crops for conversion 

to heat, power, biobased products 

and advanced biofuels. 

A BCAP project area is required to 

have specified boundaries that are 

approved by the Secretary of Agriculture. The approved specified 

boundary for Project Area Number 

1 is a 39-county area located in 

central and western Missouri and 

eastern Kansas. The target for enrollment in Project Area Number 

1 for 2011 is 20,000 acres of cropland and other agricultural land 

with perennial biomass crops comprised of native grasses, legumes 

and forbs within the approved area 

surrounding the biomass conversion facility. When fully enrolled, 

this project area may have up to 

50,000 acres, producing roughly 3 

tons of biomass per acre per year, 

or a total of 150,000 tons per year 

from land enrolled in BCAP contracts. Producers who enroll land 

can harvest their crops for sale to 

any qualified biomass conversion 

facility. 

FSA, with conservation planning assistance from the Natural 

Resources Conservation Service 

(NRCS) and other partners, will 

enter into contracts with landowners and operators in the project 

area. Producers will generally be 

eligible for: 

• Annual payments for the land 

enrolled; 

• Establishment cost-share payments for perennial biomass 

crops and; 

• Matching payments for up to 

two years for the collection, 

harvest, storage and transport 

of the biomass to a qualified 

biomass conversion facility.

The project will support the establishment of mixtures of perennial 

native grasses and forbs, such 

as Switchgrass, Big Bluestem, 

Illinois Bundleflower and Purple 

Prairie Clover. Additionally, the 

project will allow enrollment of 

existing suitable stands of native grasses, legumes and forbs; 

existing native grass stands can be 

located on expired Conservation 

Reserve Program (CRP) fields.

Eligible Counties in Project Area 

Number 1

BCAP project areas have specific 

boundaries to establish a distinct 

geographic region in which producers can enroll land into BCAP 

contracts and produce eligible 

crops. 

Eligible counties in Missouri are: 

Barton, Bates, Benton, Boone, Buchanan, Caldwell, Callaway, Cass, 

Carroll, Chariton, Clay, Clinton, 

Cooper, Daviess, Harrison, Henry, 

Howard, Jackson, Johnson, Lafayette, Linn, Livingston, Macon, 

Morgan, Pettis, Platte, Ray, Saint 

Clair, Saline and Vernon.

Eligible counties in Kansas are: 

Atchison, Douglas, Franklin, 

Johnson, Jefferson, Leavenworth, 

Linn, Miami and Wyandotte. 

Eligible Land and Producers

Eligible land includes cropland 

and non-crop agricultural land 

such as grassland, pastureland and 

hay land. Eligible land must be 

suitable, as determined by NRCS, 

for establishing the biomass crops 

included in the project area.

Ineligible land under this project 

area includes land active in:

• CRP;

• Wetlands Reserve Program 

(WRP), or Grassland Reserve 

Program (GRP) contracts;

• Private non-industrial forestland, native sod and;

• Land owned by federal agencies, states, and local governments.

 

Land enrolled in other programs 

may also be ineligible depending 

on the terms and conditions of 

those programs.

Producers must be in compliance with the highly erodible 

and wetland compliance provisions of the Food Security Act of 

1985, as amended to be eligible 

for BCAP. There are no adjusted 

gross income eligibility requirements or payment limitations for 

BCAP contracts. Cropland base 

and yield history are preserved for 

land enrolled in a BCAP contract.

Producer Payments

Annual Payments - Per acre base 

payment rates for land classified 

by FSA as cropland according 

to the definition published in the 

Federal Regulation at 7 CFR Part 

718.2, will be calculated using CRP’s posted non-irrigated 

cropland soil rental rates. Per acre 

base payment rates for all other 

eligible non-cropped agricultural 

land will be based on the lowest 

posted CRP marginal pastureland rental rate applicable to the 

county. In addition, a 20 percent 

incentive will be added to these 

base per rates for all land enrolled. 
FACT SHEET

BCAP - Project Area Number 1 May 2011

Annual Payments Reductions - 

Annual payments will be reduced 

in the year the eligible crops are 

harvested or collected from the 

contract acreage by a percentage 

of the value of the harvest/collection and any BCAP matching payments. The percentage will vary 

according to the following table:

REDUCTION 

PERCENT

FINAL 

CONVERSION 

PRODUCT

1 percent If the eligible crop 

is delivered to a 

biomass conversion 

facility for conversion 

to cellulosic biofuels 

as defined by the 

national Renewable 

Fuel Standard (40 

CFR 80.1401).

10 percent If the eligible crop 

is delivered to a 

biomass conversion 

facility for conversion 

to advanced biofuel, as defined by the 

BCAP final rule (7 

CFR Part 1450).

25 percent If the eligible crop 

is delivered to a 

biomass conversion 

facility for conversion to heat, power or 

biobased products, as 

defined by the BCAP 

final rule (7 CFR Part 

1450).

100 percent If the eligible crop 

is used for a purpose 

other than conversion to heat, power, 

biobased product or 

advanced biofuels, as 

defined by the BCAP 

final rule (7 CFR Part 

1450).

All uses of plant material removed 

from contract acreage, including material used for commercial 

seed sales, grazing, gleaning and 

related uses as determined consistent with the conservation plan, 

will trigger reductions in annual 

payments as provided. FSA will 

require all participants to keep 

and submit accurate records of 

the disposition and/or sale of all 

materials removed from contract 

acreage.

Establishment Payments - BCAP 

participants may qualify for up to 

75 percent of the cost of establishing perennial crops on contract 

acres. These payments will reimburse participants for a part of 

the cost of site preparation, seed 

stocks, planting activities and related measures. 

Establishment payments also may 

be authorized for those fields with 

existing crops.

Fencing or related livestock or 

wildlife control measures will not 

be eligible for establishment payments.

Matching Payments - Subject to 

the availability of funds, BCAP 

participants may qualify for 

matching payments when they 

deliver biomass to a qualified biomass conversion facility. 

These matching payments are provided for the collection, harvest, 

storage and transport of eligible 

biomass materials to qualified 

biomass conversion facilities. The 

duration of matching payments is 

limited to two years, per producer, 

with a matching rate of $1 per $1 

received, up to $45 per dry ton. 

A percentage of matching payments will be deducted from the 

annual rental payment in the year 

the eligible crops are harvested or 

collected from the contract acreage.

Conservation Plans 

Before FSA approves a BCAP 

contract, the participants will be 

required to obtain a conservation 

plan developed by NRCS and 

must be approved by the local Soil 

and Water Conservation District 

and FSA.

Conservation plans must contain 

provisions for:

• Crop establishment;

• Required conservation practices and;

• Biomass collection, harvest, 

and storage, including prohibitions on harvesting during 

the state recognized primary 

nesting seasons.

The following seeding mixes are 

planned for Project Area Number 

1* 

Pure Live Seed (PLS) rates for 

Mix 1 (upland sites) where seed 

is drilled into residue or a tilled 

field:

Big Bluestem 3.0 pounds/acre

Indiangrass 3.0 pounds/acre

Switchgrass 1.8 pounds/acre

Illinois 

Bundleflower

0.9 pounds/acre

Purple Prairie 

Clover

1.0 pounds/acre

PLS rates for Mix 2 (upland 

sites) where seed is broadcast 

then rolled:

Big Bluestem 4.5 pounds/acre

Indiangrass 4.5 pounds/acre

Switchgrass 2.7 pounds/acre

Illinois Bundleflower1.4 pounds/acre

Purple Prairie 

Clover

1.5 pounds/acre

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PLS rates for Mix 3 (lowland 

sites) where seed is drilled into 

residue or a tilled field:

Canada/Virginia Wildrye8.2 pounds/acre

Switchgrass 2.7 pounds/acre

Illinois Bundleflower0.9 pounds/acre

Purple Prairie 

Clover

1.0 pounds/acre

PLS rates for Mix 4 (lowland 

sites) where seed is broadcast 

then rolled:

Canada/Virginia Wildrye12.3 pounds/

acre

Switchgrass 4.1 pounds/acre

Ilinois Bundleflower1.4 ponds/acre

Purple Prairie 

Clover

1.0 pounds/acre

* Some variance may be allowed 

due to shortage of seeds or related 

causes.

Producer Participation

Enrollment periods will be announced by FSA. Approvals during 

the period will be made on a continuous basis, subject to funding availability. Enrollment applications will 

be taken at USDA Service Centers 

where the enrolled acres are administered.

For more information about BCAP 

see the general BCAP fact sheet at 

http://www.fsa.usda.gov/Internet/

FSA_File/bcap_update_may2011.

pdf.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture 

(USDA) prohibits discrimination in all 

of its programs and activities on the 

basis of race, color, national origin, age, 

disability, and where applicable, sex, 

marital status, familial status, parental 

status, religion, sexual orientation, 

political beliefs, genetic information, 

reprisal, or because all of part of an 

individual’s income is derived from any 

public assistance program. (Not all 

bases apply to all programs.) Persons 

with disabilities who require alternative 

means for communication of program 

information (Braille, large print, 

audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s 

TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 

(voice and TDD). 

To file a complaint of discrimination, 

write to USDA, Assistant Secretary 

for Civil Rights, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 

Independence Avenue, S.W., Stop 9410, 

Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call 

toll-free at (866) 632-9992 (English) or 

(800) 877-8339 (TDD) or (866) 377-

8642 (English Federal-relay) or (800) 

845-6136 (Spanish Federal-relay). 

USDA is an equal opportunity provider 

and employer.

FACT SHEET

BCAP - Project Area Number 1 May 2011

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