Conservation Reserve Program Enrollment Exceeds 800,000 Acres

More than 800,000 acres have been enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) through the program’s 49th sign up period, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced. CRP allows the USDA to help farmers balance the cost of complying with conservation efforts like restoring, enhancing, and protecting certain plants that improve water quality, prevent soil erosion and protect wildlife habitat. This sign up period saw record-high Environmental Benefits Index cut-off, and the lowest percentage of applications accepted, making it the most competitive selection in the history of the program. Heightened selectivity means that the per-acre conservation benefits are being maximized while addressing several conservation priorities at once. Total enrollment as of March 2016 is 23.8 million acres with 1.7 million acres set to expire on September 30. In order to participate in CRP, producers establish resource-conserving plant species to mitigate soil erosion, improve water quality, and protect wildlife habitats that are on marginally productive lands. In return, producers receive rental payments and cost-share assistance from FSA, in contracts with a duration of between 10-15 years.