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Source: USDA, 1/26/22 Agricultural
producers and landowners can sign up soon for the Conservation Reserve Program
(CRP), a cornerstone conservation program offered by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) and a key tool in the Biden-Harris Administration effort to
address climate change and achieve other natural resource benefits. The General
CRP signup will run from Jan.
31 to 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 Zach Ducheneaux, Administrator of USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA). “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.” 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 FSA is aiming to reach the 25.5-million-acre cap statutorily set
for fiscal year 2022. CRP Signups 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 and pastureland 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 climate outcomes. Alongside
these programs, producers and landowners can enroll acres
in Continuous CRP under the ongoing sign up, which includes
projects available through the Conservation Reserve Enhancement
Program (CREP) and State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE). Climate
Benefits Last year, 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, USDA
invested $10 million last year in the CRP Monitoring, Assessment
and Evaluation (MAE) program to measure and monitor the soil carbon and
climate resilience impacts of conservation practices over 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. More Information on CRP Landowners
and producers interested in CRP should contact their local USDA
Service Center to learn more or to apply for the
program -- for General CRP before the March 11 deadline, and for
Grassland CRP before the May
13 deadline. Service Center staff continue to work with agricultural producers via phone, email, and other digital tools. Due to the pandemic, some USDA
Service Centers are open to limited visitors. Additionally, fact sheets and other resources are available at fsa.usda.gov/crp.
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