USDA Offers Illinois Producers Many Conservation Choices with Continuous CRP

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[June 04, 2023]     Agricultural producers and landowners interested in conservation opportunities for their land in exchange for yearly rental payments can find many possibilities through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Continuous Conservation Reserve Program (Continuous CRP) enrollment.

This option offers conservation benefits similar to others, like General and Grassland CRP, but also offers unique flexibility and several program choices.

The long-term goal of all CRP opportunities is to re-establish valuable land cover—helping to improve water quality, prevent soil erosion, and reduce loss of wildlife habitat. Farmers enrolled in the program agree to remove environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production and plant species that will improve environmental health and quality in exchange for a yearly rental payment.

Under Continuous CRP, producers and landowners can enroll in CRP throughout the year. Offers are automatically accepted provided the producer and land meet the eligibility requirements and the enrollment levels do not exceed the statutory cap. The Climate-Smart Practice Incentive is also applicable to Continuous signup.

There are several enrollment options within Continuous CRP, including:

CLEAR30

The Clean Lakes, Estuaries, And Rivers Initiative provides the opportunity to reenroll expiring CRP water quality practices in a 30-year CRP contract, which promotes continued maintenance of established waterways, wetlands, and buffer practices.

State Acres For Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE)

The SAFE initiative restores vital habitat in order to meet high-priority state wildlife conservation goals.

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Highly Erodible Lands Initiative (HELI)

HELI provides participants with the opportunity to establish long-term cover on highly erodible cropland that has a weighted erodibility index (EI) greater than or equal to 20. Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)

Through an approved CREP Agreement, FSA works with conservation partners to leverage federal and non-federal resources to target specific state, regional, or nationally significant conservation and environmental objectives.

Farmable Wetlands Program

Producers and landowners can enroll land in CRP to restore previously farmed wetlands and wetland buffers, improving both vegetation and water flow.
To sign up, producers should contact the Farm Service Agency at their local USDA Service Center.

[Illinois / USDA - FPAC
Farm Service Agency]

 

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