WASHINGTON, May 25, 2012–Agriculture Secretary Tom
Vilsack today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will accept 3.9
million acres offered under the 43rd Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)
general sign-up. During the extended five-week signup, the Department received
nearly 48,000 offers on more than 4.5 million acres of land, demonstrating the
CRP’s continuing leadership as one of our nation’s most successful voluntary
efforts to conserve land and improve our soil, water, air and wildlife habitat
resources. Under Vilsack’s leadership, USDA has now enrolled nearly 12 million
acres in the CRP since 2009. Currently, there are more than 29.6 million acres
enrolled on more than 736,000 contracts.
“For more than 25 years, lands in CRP have helped
to support strong incomes for our farmers and ranchers and produce good
middle-class jobs throughout the country related to outdoor recreation,
hunting, and fishing,” said Vilsack. “As the commodities produced by our
farmers and ranchers continue to perform strongly in the marketplace—supporting
1 out of every 12 jobs here in the United States—it is no surprise that
American producers also recognize the importance of protecting our nation’s
most environmentally sensitive land by enrolling in CRP.”
Enrollment of the new 3.9 million acres will allow
USDA to continue important targeting of CRP acres through continuous sign-up
initiatives—including those announced earlier this year for highly-erodible
land, as well as grasslands and wetlands—while also maintaining and enhancing
the significant benefits that the program has already achieved. The two
continuous sign-ups announced earlier this year will target an additional 1.75
million acres in total.
For the
first continuous sign-up program, USDA encourages landowners with land that has
an Erosion Index (EI) of 20 or greater to consider participating in the Highly
Erodible Land initiative. Lands eligible for this program are typically the
least productive land on the farm. In many cases the most cost-effective option to
reduce erosion is to put the land into a wildlife friendly cover, which will
improve habitat and reduce sediment and nutrient runoff and reduce wind
erosion. For the second continuous sign-up program, landowners with sensitive
grasslands, wetlands and wildlife habitat are encouraged to participate. The
grasslands and wetlands initiative increases acres set aside for specific
enrollments that benefit duck nesting habitat, upland birds, wetlands, and
wildlife, and provides benefits for specific conservation practices, including
new benefits for pollinator practices.
CRP is a voluntary program designed to help
farmers, ranchers and other agricultural producers protect their
environmentally sensitive land. Eligible landowners receive annual rental
payments and cost-share assistance to establish long-term, resource conserving
covers on eligible farmland throughout the duration of 10 to 15 year contracts.
CRP has a
25-year legacy of successfully protecting the nation's natural resources
through voluntary participation, while providing significant economic and
environmental benefits to rural communities across the United States. Under
CRP, farmers and ranchers plant grasses and trees in crop fields and along
streams or rivers. The plantings prevent soil and nutrients from washing into
waterways, reduce soil erosion that may otherwise contribute to poor air and
water quality, and provide valuable habitat for wildlife. Plant cover
established on the acreage accepted into the CRP will reduce nutrient and
sediment runoff in our nation’s rivers and streams. In 2011, as a result of
CRP, nitrogen and phosphorous losses from farm fields were reduced by 623
million pounds and 124 million pounds respectively. The CRP has restored more
than two million acres of wetlands and associated buffers and reduces soil
erosion by more than 300 million tons per year. CRP also provides $1.8 billion
annually to landowners—dollars that make their way into local economies,
supporting small businesses and creating jobs. In addition, CRP is the largest
private lands carbon sequestration program in the country. By placing
vulnerable cropland into conservation, CRP sequesters carbon in plants and
soil, and reduces both fuel and fertilizer usage. In 2010, CRP resulted in
carbon sequestration equal to taking almost 10 million cars off the road.
USDA selected offers for enrollment based on an
Environmental Benefits Index (EBI) comprised of five environmental factors plus
cost. The five environmental factors are: (1) wildlife enhancement, (2) water
quality, (3) soil erosion, (4) enduring benefits, and (5) air quality. The
minimal acceptable EBI level for this sign-up was 209. The average rental rate
per acre for this sign-up is $51.24.
In 2011, USDA
enrolled a record number of acres of private working lands in conservation
programs, working with more than 500,000 farmers and ranchers to implement
conservation practices that clean the air we breathe, filter the water we
drink, and prevent soil erosion. Moreover, the Obama Administration, with
Agriculture Secretary Vilsack’s leadership, has worked tirelessly to strengthen
rural America, implement the Farm Bill, maintain a strong farm safety net, and
create opportunities for America’s farmers and ranchers. U.S. agriculture is
currently experiencing one of its most productive periods in American history
thanks to the productivity, resiliency, and resourcefulness of our producers.
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