The Department of Agriculture reminds farmers interested in the Conservation Reserve Program 2020 general signup to enroll by February 28th.
The signup is available to farmers and private landowners who are either enrolling for the first time or re-enrolling for another ten to 15-year term.
FSA Administrator Richard Fordyce notes, “This is the first opportunity for general sign up since 2016, and we want producers and private landowners to know that we have just one month remaining.”
CRP has 22 million acres enrolled, but the 2018 farm bill lifted the cap to 27 million acres.
Signed into law in 1985, CRP is one of the largest private-lands conservation programs in the United States.
It was originally intended to primarily control soil erosion and potentially stabilize commodity prices by taking marginal lands out of production.
Farmers and ranchers who enroll in CRP receive yearly rental payments for voluntarily establishing long-term, resource-conserving plant species which can control soil erosion, improve water quality and develop wildlife habitat.
