USDA announces Conservation Reserve Program sign-up dates

Agricultural producers and landowners can sign up for the Conservation Reserve Program, a cornerstone conservation program offered by the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture.

The general CRP signup will run through Friday, March 11, and the grassland CRP signup will run from April 4 to May 13.

“We highly encourage farmers, ranchers and private landowners to consider the enrollment options available through CRP,” said Susan Houston, acting Farm Service Agency state director. “Last year, we rolled out a better, bolder program, and we highly encourage you to consider its higher payment rates and other incentives.

“CRP is another way that we’re putting producers and landowners at the center of climate-smart solutions that generate revenue and benefit our planet,” she said.

Producers and landowners enrolled 4.6 million acres into CRP signups in 2021, including 2.5 million acres in the largest grassland CRP signup in history. There are currently 22.1 million acres enrolled, and the FSA is aiming to reach the 25.5-million-acre cap statutorily set for fiscal year 2022.

General CRP helps producers and landowners establish long-term, resource-conserving plant species, such as approved grasses or trees, to control soil erosion, improve water quality and enhance wildlife habitat on cropland.

Meanwhile, grassland CRP is a working lands program, helping landowners and operators protect grassland, including rangeland, pasture land and certain other lands, while maintaining the areas as working grazing lands. Protecting grasslands contributes positively to the economy of many regions, provides biodiversity of plant and animal populations and provides important carbon sequestration benefits to deliver lasting outcomes.

Alongside these programs, producers and landowners can enroll acres in continuous CRP under the ongoing signup, which includes projects available through the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program and State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement.

Last year, the FSA enacted a Climate-Smart Practice Incentive for CRP general and continuous signups, to better target CRP on addressing climate change. This incentive aims to increase carbon sequestration and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

CRP’s climate-smart practices include establishment of trees and permanent grasses, development of wildlife habitat and wetland restoration. The Climate-Smart Practice Incentive is annual, and the amount is based on the benefits of each practice type.

Additionally, in order to better target the program toward climate outcomes, the USDA invested $10 million last year in the CRP Monitoring, Assessment and Evaluation program to measure and monitor the soil carbon and climate resilience impacts of conservation practices during the life of new CRP contracts. This will enable the agency to further refine the program and practices to provide producers tools for increased climate resilience.

Landowners and producers interested in CRP should contact their local USDA Service Center to learn more or to apply for the program. Service Center staff continue to work with agricultural producers via phone, email and other digital tools. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some USDA Service Centers are open to limited visitors. Additionally, fact sheets and other resources are available at fsa.usda.gov/crp.

Signed into law in 1985, 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 through the years, providing many conservation and economic benefits.

To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.