Producers can enroll in the re-opened CRP

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is accepting applications for the Continuous Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) sign-up. Agricultural producers and landowners interested in conservation opportunities for their land, in exchange for yearly rental payments, are encouraged to consider the enrollment options available through the CRP, which also includes the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), offered by Farm Service Agency (FSA) partners.

Additionally, producers participating in the CRP can apply to re-enroll, if their contracts will expire this year.

To submit an offer, producers should contact the FSA at their local USDA Service Center by July 31, in order to have an offer effective by Oct. 1. To ensure enrollment acreages do not exceed the statutory cap, the FSA will accept offers from producers on a first-come, first-served basis and will return offers for approval in batches throughout the year.

In addition, producers with acres enrolled in the CRP set to expire Sept. 30, can offer acres for re-enrollment. A producer can both enroll new acres into the CRP and reenroll any acres expiring Sept.30.

FSA water quality practices, such as riparian buffers, prairie strips, grassed waterways and wetlands, will receive an additional 20 percent incentive. Buffer practices have a positive impact on water quality.

Signed into law in 1985, the CRP is one of the largest voluntary private-lands conservation programs in the United States. It was originally intended to primarily control soil erosion and potentially stabilize commodity prices, by taking marginal lands out of production. The program has evolved over the years, providing many conservation and economic benefits.