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 FSA is mailing letters to producers with expiring acres that
detail this flexibility and share other options, such as
re-enrolling sensitive acres in the CRP Continuous signup and
considering growing organic crops. Producers will be asked to
make the request for voluntary termination in writing through
their local USDA Service Center.
If approved for voluntary termination, preparations can occur
after the conclusion of the primary nesting season. Producers
will then be able to hay, graze, begin land preparation
activities and plant a fall-seeded crop before October 1, 2022.
For land in colder climates, this flexibility may allow for
better establishment of a winter wheat crop or better prepare
the land for spring planting.
Organic Considerations
Since CRP land typically does not have a recent history of
pesticide or herbicide application, USDA is encouraging
producers to consider organic production. USDA’s Natural
Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) provides technical and
financial assistance to help producers plan and implement
conservation practices, including those that work well for
organic operations, such as pest management and mulching.
Meanwhile, FSA offers cost-share for certification costs and
other fees.
Other CRP Options
Participants can also choose to enroll all or part of their
expiring acres into the Continuous CRP signup for 2022.
Important conservation benefits may still be achieved by
re-enrolling sensitive acres such as buffers or wetlands.
Expiring water quality practices such as filter strips, grass
waterways, and riparian buffers may be eligible to be reenrolled
under the Clean Lakes, Estuaries, and Rivers (CLEAR) and CLEAR
30 options under CRP. Additionally, expiring continuous CRP
practices such as shelterbelts, field windbreaks, and other
buffer practices may also be re-enrolled to provide benefits for
organic farming operations.
If producers are not planning to farm the land from their
expiring CRP contract, the Transition Incentives Program (TIP)
may also provide them two additional annual rental payments
after their contract expires on the condition that they sell or
rent their land to a beginning or veteran farmer or rancher or a
member of a socially disadvantaged group.
Producers interested in the Continuous CRP signup, CLEAR 30, or
TIP should contact FSA by August 5, 2022.
NRCS Conservation Programs
USDA also encourages producers to consider NRCS conservation
programs, which help producers integrate conservation on
croplands, grazing lands and other agricultural landscapes.
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EQIP and CSP can help producers plant cover crops,
manage nutrients and improve irrigation and grazing systems.
Additionally, the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP),
or state or private easement programs, may be such an option. In
many cases, a combination of approaches can be taken on the same
parcel. For example, riparian areas or other sensitive parts of a
parcel may be enrolled in continuous CRP and the remaining land that
is returned to farming can participate in CSP or EQIP and may be
eligible to receive additional ranking points.
Other Flexibilities to Support Conservation
Additionally, NRCS is also offering a new flexibility for EQIP and
CSP participants who have cover cropping including in their existing
contracts. NRCS will allow participants to either modify their plans
to plant a cover crop (and instead shift to a conservation crop
rotation) or delay their cover crop plans a year, without needing to
terminate the existing contract. This will allow for flexibility to
respond to market signals while still ensuring the conservation
benefits through NRCS financial and technical assistance for
participating producers.
More Information
Producers and landowners can learn more about these options by
contacting FSA and NRCS at their local USDA Service Center.
USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive
ways. In the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming
America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local
and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers,
ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all
communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers
and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices,
making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy
capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the
Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce
more representative of America. To learn more, visit usda.gov.
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