The Agriculture Department has launched a new application round for the Conservation Reserve Program under both the General and Continuous signup rules. 

Dates for Grasslands CRP signup will be announced later. 

“With 1.8 million acres available for all CRP enrollment this fiscal year, we are very aware that we are bumping up against the statutory 27-million-acre statutory cap,” Farm Service Agency Administrator Bill Beam said in a press release. “Now more than ever, it’s important that the acres offered by landowners and those approved by USDA address our most critical natural resource concerns.”

Applications for General CRP contracts are scored and compared to other offers based on the potential environmental benefits of removing the land from production. The deadline for offers is June 6. 

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Continuous CRP offers don’t go through the competitive bidding process. FSA will be taking Continuous CRP offers on a first-come, first service basis through June 6. FSA may consider offers after that deadline if sufficient acreage remains in the program. 

FSA’s latest monthly report shows 25.9 million acres enrolled in CRP, including 7.8 million through the General signup and 7.3 million in Continuous signup. Grasslands is the largest part of the program at 9.7 million acres.

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