The Agriculture Department on Thursday announced opening dates for continuous and general signups for the Conservation Reserve Program, which has around 1.9 million acres of available space this year.
The agency will accept offers for Continuous CRP between Feb. 12 and March 20, and General CRP from March 9 through April 17, according to a press release. Grassland CRP dates will be announced "in the near future" the release says.
“We’re still very close to the 27-million-acre statutory cap with 1.9 million acres available for all CRP enrollments this fiscal year so enrollment is likely to be competitive,” Undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation Richard Fordyce said. “This isn’t about the total number of acres enrolled, it’s about producers and landowners offering and USDA accepting the acres that can best deliver real, lasting benefits to soil, water and wildlife.”
General CRP focuses on retiring whole fields from production for 10- to 15-year periods, while continuous CRP targets smaller parcels through practices like buffers and filter strips. Grassland CRP allows farmers to graze land they enroll, which can only be done in “emergency” conditions in a general sign-up.
According to the press release, USDA will batch Continuous CRP offers submitted by producers and landowners and will accept offers to re-enroll in the continuous signup "on a first-come, first-serve basis if they support USDA conservation priorities including but not limited to practices that address water quality, such as filter strips and grass waterways, and practices that restore native ecosystems or target specific resource concerns."
The General CRP offers will be handled through a competitive bid process, with offers ranked and scored using environmental benefits criteria.
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