The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced enrollment periods for agricultural producers and landowners to submit offers for the Continuous and General Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).
USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is accepting offers for Continuous CRP through Friday, March 20. Enrollment for General CRP will be from Monday, March 9 through Friday, April 17. Dates for Grassland CRP signup are to be announced.
Producers and landowners interested in participating in CRP should contact their local FSA office. The Auburn office is at 918 26th St., Suite A, 402-274-4987, Ext. 2. The Tecumseh office is at 448 N. 12th St., Suite B, 402-335-3377.
CRP provides financial and technical support to agricultural producers and landowners who place unproductive or marginal cropland under contract for 10 to 15 years and who agree to voluntarily convert the land to beneficial vegetative cover to improve water quality, prevent soil erosion and support wildlife habitat.
Continuous CRP
FSA will combine Continuous CRP offers submitted by interested agricultural producers and landowners. Offers to re-enroll expiring CRP continuous acreage will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis. New acreage offered in continuous CRP practices will be considered for acceptance on a first-come, first-serve basis if they support USDA conservation priorities including but not limited to practices that address water quality, such as filter strips and grass waterways, and practices that restore native ecosystems or target specific resource concerns.
Offers submitted after March 20 will be considered for acceptance in subsequent periods if acreage remains available.
Continuous CRP participants voluntarily offer environmentally sensitive lands, typically smaller parcels than offered through General CRP including wetlands, riparian buffers, and varying wildlife habitats. In return, they receive annual rental payments and cost-share assistance to establish long-term, resource-conserving vegetative cover.
There are several Continuous CRP enrollment options:Clean Lakes, Estuaries and Rivers (CLEAR) Initiative; CLEAR30, a component of the CLEAR Initiative; Highly Erodible Land Initiative; Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP): Addresses and State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement Initiative.
General CRP: Offers are submitted through a competitive bid process. After the enrollment period closes, they are ranked and scored by FSA, using nationally established environmental benefits criteria. USDA will announce accepted offers upon completion of ranking and scoring for all offers. Besides annual rental payments, approved participants may also be eligible for cost-share assistance to establish long-term, resource-conserving vegetative cover.
