WASHINGTON,
Sept. 21, 2012 – Without passage of a new farm bill, USDA’s Farm Service Agency
alerted state and county offices that the agency will not process any new
enrollments for Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contracts after the current
farm bill expires on Sept. 30, 2012.
As of July
2012, there were 29.6 million acres enrolled in the nation’s largest land
retirement program. A general signup (#43) was held March 12 through April 13,
with 3.88 million acres determined acceptable out of
4.54 million acres
offered.
However,
contracts covering 6.5 million acres are due to expire on Sept. 30.
According to
a document obtained by Agri-Pulse,effective October 1, 2012, FSA shall:
• not approve
any CRP contracts for all signup types
• not process
offers for enrollment in CRP for all signup types
• continue to
pay all SIP, PIP, annual rental, and cost-share payments for contracts approved
before October 1, 2012.
A USDA
spokesperson confirmed that no new acres can be enrolled if new farm
legislation is not passed, and noted that the program will lose up to 750,000
acres dedicated to high priority practices to restore vital habitat.
#30
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go to: www.Agri-Pulse.com
