USDA resumes accepting applications for the voluntary Conservation Reserve Program

USDA has resumed accepting applications for the voluntary Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). The Farm Service Agency (FSA) stopped accepting applications last fall for the CRP continuous signup (excluding applications for the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program and CRP grasslands) to allow USDA to review available acres and avoid exceeding the 24 million-acre CRP cap set by the 2014 Farm Bill. New limited practice availability and short sign-up period helps ensure that landowners with the most sensitive acreage will enroll in the program and avoid unintended competition with new and beginning farmers seeking leases. CRP enrollment currently is about 22.7 million acres. “CRP also is a powerful tool to encourage agricultural producers to set aside unproductive, marginal lands that should not be farmed to reduce soil erosion, improve water quality, provide habitat for wildlife and boost soil health,” said USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue. Eligible farmers, ranchers, and private landowners can sign up at their local FSA office until Aug. 17, 2018. USDA will not open a general sign-up this year, however, a one-year extension will be offered to existing CRP participants with expiring CRP contracts of 14 years or less. Producers eligible for an extension will receive a letter with more information. — WLJ