USDA and the state of Colorado announced a newly revised Colorado Republican River Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) to allow farmers dryland crop production on eligible cropland.
The option will allow producers to continue farming while implementing conservation-minded agricultural practices and conserving the Ogallala Aquifer.
“With the new dryland crop production practice provided through this agreement, producers with eligible land will have both the authority and access to the necessary technical assistance to successfully transition away from irrigated production while maintaining soil health and wildlife habitat,” said Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Zach Ducheneaux in a statement. “I am deeply grateful for the State of Colorado’s commitment to not just reaching an agreement but reaching the right agreement and strengthening a long-term partnership that will support Colorado producers into the future.”
Through the revised program, producers in the Colorado Republican River CREP can enroll eligible land in “CP100, Annual Crop Production, Non-Irrigated,” that transitions irrigated cropland to non-irrigated and establishes wildlife habitat. “Unlike continuous and general Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) enrollment, participants with land enrolled in the CP100 may earn additional income from crops harvested from this acreage,” the announcement said.
To meet the requirements, Republican River Water Conservation District (RRWCD) users must irrigate land more than 6 inches per acre and be owned by the applicant for more than one year. RRWCD will pay for well retirement based on the lesser of three factors when determining the number of irrigated acres. These include: the number of acres on an irrigated well, the number of acres assessed by the County Assessor as irrigated acres the previous year and the number of acres irrigated in four of the six years according to the FSA cropping records. The rates will depend on whether the acreage is in the South Fork Focus Zone or outside. Producers can irrigate up to 6 inches during the first 12 months while establishing a cover crop of grass and will not be assessed a water user fee.
Producers can also enroll eligible land in “CP2, Permanent Native Grasses,” “CP4D, Permanent Wildlife Habitat” and “CP23 or CP23A, Wetland Restoration.” These conservation practices remove cropland from agricultural production and convert the land to an approved conservation cover.
Producers can receive an annual rental payment and cost share on eligible components through these options. Through the Colorado Republican River CREP, federal and state resources are available to program participants who voluntarily enroll in Conservation Reserve Program for 14- to 15-year contracts.
“By leveraging this CREP program, we can combine significant long-term reduction of consumptive water use and conservation-based dryland crop production when drought and water conservation resource concerns exist, as they so currently do,” said Kent Peppler, FSA’s Colorado State Executive Director. “This approach showcases that when we work to promote both production and conservation hand-in-hand, we have the capacity to create unique partnerships that benefit our economies, landscapes and communities.”
According to FSA, the goal is to enroll up to 60,000 acres and reduce irrigation water use for agriculture from the Ogallala Aquifer by 6.5% from 2004 levels. Additionally, FSA hopes to reduce soil erosion by 490,000 tons and fertilizer and pesticide usage by at least 3,865 tons annually.
Enrollment in CRP through the Colorado Republican River CREP is on a continuous basis. Producers may still enroll land in CRP through general or continuous signup; however, the Colorado Republican River CREP provides additional benefits unavailable through general and/or continuous signup. Interested farmers, ranchers, and agricultural landowners are encouraged to contact FSA at their local USDA Service Center to learn more or to participate. — Charles Wallace, WLJ editor
