More than 800,000 thousand acres of farmland were enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program in the latest sign-up period, according to USDA. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the enrollment figure Thursday from the program’s 49th sign-up period. The program pays farmers to idle marginally productive land to enhance conservation efforts. USDA says the CRP program provides nearly $2 billion annually to landowners. Vilsack says over the past 30 years, “CRP has created major environmental improvements throughout the countryside.” The most recent sign-up period was one of the most selective, according to USDA. As of March 2016, 23.8 million acres were enrolled in CRP, with 1.7 million acres set to expire this fall.
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