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Source: USDA, 1/4/21
Agricultural
producers and private landowners interested in the Conservation
Reserve Program (CRP) can sign up for the popular program beginning today, Jan. 4, 2021, until Feb. 12, 2021. The competitive program, administered by USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), provides annual rental payments for land devoted to conservation purposes.“This signup for the Conservation Reserve Program gives producers and landowners an opportunity to enroll for the first time or continue their participation for another term,” FSA Administrator Richard Fordyce said. “This program encourages conservation on sensitive lands or low-yielding acres, which provides tremendous benefits for stewardship of our natural resources and wildlife.” Through CRP, farmers and ranchers 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. Farmers and ranchers who participate in CRP help provide numerous benefits to their local region and the nation’s environment and economy. CRP general signup is held annually and is competitive; general signup includes increased opportunities for wildlife habitat enrollment through the State Acres For Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE)
initiative. New
cropland offered in the program must have been planted for four out of six crop
years from 2012 to 2017. Additionally, producers with land already enrolled but
expiring on Sept. 30, 2021, can re-enroll this year. The acreage offered by
producers and landowners is evaluated competitively; accepted offers will begin
Oct. 1, 2021. Signed
into law in 1985, CRP is one of the largest private-lands conservation programs
in the United States. The program marked its 35-year anniversary in
December 2020. Program successes include:
- Preventing more than 9 billion tons of soil from
eroding, which is enough soil to fill 600 million dump trucks.
- Reducing nitrogen and phosphorous runoff relative to
annually tilled cropland by 95% and 85%, respectively.
- Sequestering an annual average of 49 million tons of
greenhouse gases, equal to taking 9 million cars off the road.
- Creating more than 3 million acres of restored
wetlands while protecting more than 175,000 stream miles with riparian
forest and grass buffers, which is enough to go around the world seven
times.
- Benefiting bees and other pollinators and increasing
populations of ducks, pheasants, turkey, bobwhite quail, prairie chickens,
grasshopper sparrows, and many other birds.
All USDA
Service Centers are open for business, including those that restrict in-person
visits or require appointments. All Service Center visitors wishing to conduct
business with FSA, Natural Resources Conservation Service or any other Service
Center agency should call ahead and schedule an appointment. Service Centers
that are open for appointments will pre-screen visitors based on health
concerns or recent travel, and visitors must adhere to social distancing
guidelines. Visitors are also required to wear a face covering during their appointment.
Our program delivery staff will continue to work with our producers by phone,
email, and using online tools. More information can be found at farmers.gov/coronavirus. USDA is
an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.
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