Last Updated November 3, 2009
Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)
Conserving soil, water, and wildlife by temporarily removing land from agricultural production
Program Basics
The primary purposes of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) are to conserve and improve the soil, water, and wildlife resources by temporarily removing land from agricultural production. Under the CRP general sign-up provision, USDA offers annual rental payments and cost-share assistance to farmers to establish long-term conserving cover, primarily grasses and trees, on land that has been in row crop production. USDA periodically holds general sign-ups, and land is bid into the program on a competitive basis, with ranking based on environmental benefits and cost.
The CRP also has a continuous signup provision, the CCRP (sometimes referred to as the CRP buffer initiative), which provides payments to farmers to establish riparian buffers, grass waterways, contour grass strips, and other specific partial field conservation practices on land in agricultural production. Farmers and landowners may enroll land on which those partial field practices will be adopted at any time, hence the term "continuous" sign-up.
In addition, USDA may enter into a Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) agreement with a state, under which the state provides funding, in addition to the federal CRP funding, to pay farmers to address targeted conservation issues within the state.
All CRP contracts between USDA and agricultural landowners are for 10 to 15 years, with the longer agreements for land planted to trees. The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) administers the CRP, with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) providing technical land eligibility determinations, conservation planning and practice implementation. State forestry agencies also provide some technical support.
Key Aspects of the CRP
1. CRP General Sign-Up
Farmers can apply for CRP general sign-up enrollment only during designated sign-up periods. USDA accepts land into the CRP based on a competitive bidding process. For information on upcoming general sign-ups, farmers should contact their local FSA office. No general sign-ups are expected in 2009.
Eligible Producers - To be eligible for CRP enrollment, a producer must have owned or operated the land for at least 12 months prior to close of the CRP sign-up period, unless:
- The new owner acquired the land due to the previous owner's death;
- The ownership change occurred due to foreclosure where the owner exercised a timely right or redemption in accordance with state law; or
- The circumstances of the acquisition present adequate assurance to FSA that the new owner did not acquire the land for the purpose of placing it in CRP.
Eligible Land - To be eligible for placement in CRP, land must be either:
- Cropland (including field margins) that is planted or considered planted to an agricultural commodity 4 of the previous 6 crop years from 2002 to 2007 , and which is physically and legally capable of being planted in a normal manner to an agricultural commodity; or
- Certain marginal pastureland that is enrolled in the Water Bank Program or suitable for use as a riparian buffer or for similar water quality purposes.
Ranking CRP Land Enrollment Offers - Offers for CRP contracts are ranked according to the Environmental Benefits Index (EBI). FSA collects data for each of the EBI factors based on the relative environmental benefits for the land offered. Each eligible offer is ranked in comparison to all other offers and selections made from that ranking. FSA currently uses the following EBI factors to assess the environmental benefits for the land offered:
- Wildlife habitat benefits resulting from covers on contract acreage;
- Water quality benefits from reduced erosion, runoff, and leaching;
- On-farm benefits from reduced erosion;
- Benefits that will likely endure beyond the contract period;
- Air quality benefits from reduced wind erosion; and
- Cost.
General CRP Contracts: CRP contracts generally require farmers to establish and maintain the conservation practices specified in the contract for ten years. For conservation practices such as tree planting that may require more time, the contracts run for 15 years.CRP Payments - FSA provides CRP participants with annual rental payments, including certain incentive payments, and cost-share assistance:
- Rental Payments: FSA bases rental rates on the relative productivity of the soils within each county and the average dryland cash rent or cash-rent equivalent. The maximum CRP rental rate for each offer is calculated in advance of enrollment. Producers may offer land at that rate or offer a lower rental rate to increase the likelihood that their offer will be accepted.
- Maintenance Incentive Payments: CRP annual rental payments may include an additional amount up to $5 per acre per year as an incentive to perform certain maintenance obligations.
- Cost-share Assistance: FSA provides cost-share assistance to participants who establish approved cover on eligible cropland. The cost-share assistance cannot exceed 50 percent of the participants' costs in establishing approved practices.
2. Continuous CRP (CCRP) Sign-Up
Farmers may apply to their local FSA office for enrollment in the CCRP at any time. Offers that meet eligibility requirements are automatically accepted and are not subject to competitive bidding. The CCRP allows farmers to enroll partial fields, or occasionally whole fields, in conjunction with working agricultural land.
Eligible Producers and Land - Eligibility is the same as for regular CRP, except that land within an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-designated public wellhead area may also be eligible for enrollment on a continuous basis.
Eligible Practices - The CCRP pays farmers to implement conservation practices that improve the conservation performance of agricultural working land. Currently, these practices include: riparian buffers, wildlife habitat buffers, wetland buffers, filter strips, wetland restoration, grass waterways, shelterbelts, living snow fences, contour grass strips, salt tolerant vegetation and shallow water areas for wildlife.
CCRP Payments - In addition to cost share assistance to establish practices and annual rental payments, FSA provides certain CCRP continuous sign-up participants with special incentives, including a bonus of up to 20 percent on rental rates for windbreaks, filter strips, grass waterways, and riparian buffers, a 10 percent rental rate bonus for land located in EPA-designated wellhead protection areas, and upfront sign-up bonus of $100 per acre and 40 percent bonus on cost share assistance for some but not all eligible CCRP practices. It is possible FSA will extend the bonus payments to additional practices, in keeping with the Statement of the Managers of the 2008 Farm Bill.
State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) - In January 2008, USDA launched a new administrative initiative as a continuous CRP practice called State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE). Under SAFE, projects are developed to benefit threatened, endangered and other high-priority species. Unlike CREP (see below), the SAFE initiative does not require an agreement between USDA and a state but does generally involve state or tribal agencies and conservation groups working with USDA to develop projects. But like the CREP, SAFE projects are limited geographically. Farmers should contact their local FSA office to for information about SAFE projects in their locality. Farmers enroll land under SAFE project contracts with similar terms to CCRP contracts.
3. Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)
The CREP is based on partnership agreements between the USDA and state or tribal governments and may also involve non-governmental organizations that provide funding or conservation services. CREP agreements address high-priority conservation issues of both local and national significance, such as impacts to water supplies or loss of critical habitat for threatened and endangered wildlife species or fish populations. Each CREP has its geographic limitations, acreage cap, and specified conservation practices. Generally farmers who meet the eligibility requirements of a particular CREP can enroll any time until the acreage requirements of the CREP have been met.
Eligible Land — CREP agreements are limited to specific geographic areas and to farmland where specific conservation practices are suitable to dealing with the conservation issues identified in the CRP. Farmers should contact their local county FSA office to determine if land in their state and county is involved in a CREP.
CREP Payments - Like regular CRP, CREP contracts are from 10 to 15 years. CREP participants receive the federal annual rental payment, maintenance incentive payment, and up to 50 percent cost-share. In addition, a CREP generally includes a sign-up incentive for participants to install specific practices. State and tribal governments and non-governmental organizations may also provide additional payments. For example, many states offer to pay for permanent easements on riparian or wetland buffers or other practices or environmentally sensitive land of specific relevance to the particular CREP project.
The FSA website for the Conservation Reserve Program is:
www.fsa.usda.gov (Click on Conservation Programs)
To find your local office, click on:
http://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app?state=us&agency=fsa.
Contact Information
Beverly J. Preston
FSA Program Manager
beverly.preston@usda.gov
202-720-9563.
Astor Boozer
NRCS National Program Manager
astor.boozer@usda.gov
202-720-0242.
