The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced earlier this week that signup for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is underway. Administered by USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), CRP provides annual rental payments for land devoted to conservation purposes. FSA Administrator Richard Fordyce told Southeast AgNet this CRP signup gives producers and landowners an opportunity to enroll for the first time or continue their participation for another term.
CRP sign up runs until Feb. 12, 2021. For more information click here.
2021 Enrollment Period
The CRP general signup runs Jan. 4, 2021 through Feb. 12, 2021. This signup includes increased opportunities for enrollment of wildlife habitat through the State Acres For Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) initiative.
The CRP Grasslands signup runs March 15, 2021 through April 23, 2021.
The continuous signup is ongoing.
More information:
CRP General Signup fact sheet- Dec. 9, 2020 News Release: USDA Announces Increase to Certain Incentive Payments for Continuous Conservation Reserve Program
- Nov. 12, 2020 News Release: USDA to Open Signup for the Conservation Reserve Program and CRP Grasslands in Early 2021
About the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)
CRP is a land conservation program administered by FSA. In exchange for a yearly rental payment, farmers enrolled in the program agree to remove environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production and plant species that will improve environmental health and quality. Contracts for land enrolled in CRP are 10-15 years in length. The long-term goal of the program is to re-establish valuable land cover to help improve water quality, prevent soil erosion, and reduce loss of wildlife habitat.
Signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1985, CRP is one of the largest private-lands conservation program in the United States. Thanks to voluntary participation by farmers and landowners, CRP has improved water quality, reduced soil erosion, and increased habitat for endangered and threatened species.