USDA announced it is partnering with three Tribes in the Great Plains to conserve, maintain and improve grassland productivity, reduce soil erosion and enhance wildlife habitat through the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP).
The Cheyenne River, Oglala and Rosebud Sioux Tribes are entering into CREP agreements with USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) to enroll eligible grasslands, pasturelands and other agricultural lands within the boundaries of their reservations in this conservation program.
Each CREP agreement will enroll up to 1.5 million acres by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, 1 million acres by the Oglala Sioux Tribe and 600,000 acres by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe.
“This is a historic milestone for USDA and will substantially bolster our efforts to deploy climate-smart agriculture and conservation in the Great Plains,” Scott Marlow, FSA’s deputy administrator for farm programs, said in a statement. “It is vital that programs like CREP are not just available, but also accessible to all agricultural communities. These agreements underscore not only our strong commitment to equity, but also the vital contribution Native communities make to our country’s agriculture and conservation efforts.”
