NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (AP) — Thanks to a $700,000 grant and an organization’s efforts, around 15,500 acres of land south of North Platte is looking greener.

Four of Nebraska’s Natural Resource Districts bought the land and formed the Nebraska Cooperative Republican Platte Enhancement Project. A group official says it’s in the process of converting it back to native prairie grass.

The group worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service to develop a seed mix that would grow well on the property. The goal of the project is to help reduce the amount of water used on the land.

The acres used to be a part of Lincoln Farms, which was the largest continuous farm in the state at the time it was sold.