Secretary Vilsack Announces Additional 800,000 Acres Dedicated to
Conservation Reserve Program for Wildlife Habitat and Wetlands
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[June 22, 2015]
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack
announced today that an additional 800,000 acres of highly
environmentally sensitive land may be enrolled in Conservation
Reserve Program (CRP) under certain wetland and wildlife initiatives
that provide multiple benefits on the same land.
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will accept new offers
to participate in CRP under a general signup to be held Dec. 1,
2015, through Feb. 26, 2016. Eligible existing program
participants with contracts expiring Sept. 30, 2015, will be
granted an option for one-year extensions. Farmers and ranchers
interested in removing sensitive land from agricultural
production and planting grasses or trees to reduce soil erosion,
improve water quality and restore wildlife habitat are
encouraged to enroll.
For 30 years, the Conservation Reserve Program has helped
farmers and ranchers prevent more than 8 billion tons of soil
from eroding, reduce nitrogen and phosphorous runoff relative to
cropland by 95 and 85 percent respectively, and even sequester
43 million tons of greenhouse gases annually, equal to taking 8
million cars off the road.
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The voluntary Conservation Reserve Program allows USDA to
contract with agricultural producers so that environmentally
sensitive land is conserved. Participants establish long-term,
resource-conserving plant species to control soil erosion,
improve water quality and develop wildlife habitat. In return,
USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) provides participants with
rental payments and cost-share assistance. Contract duration is
between 10 and 15 years.
CRP protects water quality and restores significant habitat for
ducks, pheasants, turkey, quail, deer and other important
wildlife which spurs economic development like hunting and
fishing, outdoor recreation and tourism across rural America.
Today’s announcement allows an additional 800,000 acres for duck
nesting habitat and other wetland and wildlife habitat
initiatives to be enrolled in the program.
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Farmers and ranchers should consider the various CRP continuous
sign-up initiatives that may help target specific resource concerns.
Financial assistance is offered for many practices including
conservation buffers and pollinator habitat plantings, and
initiatives such as the highly erodible lands, bottomland hardwood
tree and longleaf pine.
Farmers and ranchers may visit their FSA county office for
additional information. The 2014 Farm Bill authorized the enrollment
of grasslands in CRP and information on grasslands enrollment will
be available after the regulation is published later this summer.
For more information on CRP and other FSA programs, please visit
www.fsa.usda.gov.
[USDA FArm Service Agency]
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