|
 The
announcement was made Saturday, March 2, 2024 by Zach Ducheneaux,
Administrator of the USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) at this
year’s National Pheasant Fest, in Sioux Falls, SD.
On November 16, 2023, President Biden signed into law H.R. 6363,
the Further Continuing Appropriations and Other Extensions Act,
2024 (Pub. L. 118-22), which extended the Agriculture
Improvement Act of 2018 (Pub. L. 115-334), more commonly known
as the 2018 Farm Bill, through September 30, 2024. This
extension allows authorized programs, including CRP, to continue
operating.
As one of the largest private lands conservation programs in the
United States, CRP offers a range of conservation options to
farmers, ranchers, and landowners. It has been an especially
strong opportunity for farmers with less productive or marginal
cropland, helping them re-establish valuable land cover to help
improve water quality, prevent soil erosion, and support
wildlife habitat.
Producers and landowners enrolled about 926,000 acres in General
CRP in 2023, bringing the total of enrolled acres in General CRP
to 7.78 million. This, combined with all other acres in CRP
through other enrollment opportunities, such as Grassland and
Continuous CRP, bring the current total of enrolled acres to
24.8 million.
General CRP
General CRP helps producers and landowners establish long-term,
resource-conserving plant species, such as approved grasses or
trees, to control soil erosion, improve water quality and
enhance wildlife habitat on cropland. Additionally, General CRP
includes a Climate-Smart Practice Incentive to help increase
carbon sequestration and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by
helping producers and landowners establish trees and permanent
grasses, enhance wildlife habitat, and restore wetlands.
General CRP is one of several ways agricultural producers and
private landowners can participate in the program.
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Other CRP Options
This past January FSA began accepting applications for the
Continuous CRP signup. Under this enrollment, 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 USDA also offers financial assistance to producers and
landowners enrolled in CRP to improve the health of their forests
through the Forest Management Incentive (FMI), which can help
participants with forest management practices, such as brush
management and prescribed burning.
FSA will announce the dates for Grassland CRP signup
in the near future.
Producers with expiring CRP acres can use the Transition Incentives
Program (TIP), which incentivizes producers who sell or enter a
long-term lease with a beginning, veteran, or socially disadvantaged
farmer or rancher who plans to sustainably farm or ranch the land.
How to Sign Up
Landowners and producers interested in CRP should contact their
local USDA Service Center to learn more or to apply for the program
before their deadlines, or visit usda.gov
[Illinois / USDA - FPAC
Farm Service Agency] |
