Farmers and ranchers are reminded the deadline for applying for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is Feb. 28.
The program is limited in the number of acres that can be enrolled, and those with an application that demonstrates multiple conservation benefits will have the best chance at getting into the program.
CRP has been helping farmers and ranchers with financial incentives since 1985. The goal of CRP is to use financial incentives to have farmers and ranchers become more environmentally conscious. In addition to land acreage, CRP has also protected and restored 2.7 million acres of wetland and protects 170,000 stream miles with forests and grasses.
"Since [2009], USDA has invested more than $29 billion to help producers make conservation improvements, working with as many as 500,000 farmers, ranchers and landowners to protect land and water on over 400 million acres nationwide," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said. "The Conservation Reserve Program has been and continues to be a key piece of USDA's conservation strategy, and with this competitive sign-up we are encouraging applications that offer the greatest environmental protection."
In 2015, the program had 830,000 acres continuously enrolled which provides many benefits like water quality, wildlife, carbon sequestration among other benefits. Within the 830,000 acres, 190,000 was dedicated to pollinators for the National Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators program.
Alerts Sign-up