USDA accepted 2.8 million acres into the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) in 2021 from agricultural producers and private landowners. Continuous sign-up is still open, but CRP Grasslands sign-up is closed. USDA “expects to enroll more acres into all of CRP than the 3 million acres that are expiring,” the department stated.
“Despite Congress raising the enrollment target in the 2018 Farm Bill, there have been decreases in enrollment for the past two years,” Zach Ducheneaux, administrator for USDA’s Farm Service Agency, said. “Even with the improved direction, USDA will still be about 4 million acres below the enrollment target. The CRP benefits for producers, sportsmen, wildlife, conservation and climate are numerous and well documented.”
The 4-million-acre gap between enrollment and USDA’s target translates into less acreage for wildlife and pollinator habitat, nitrogen entering waterways and soil erosion, USDA said.
