CRP Enrollment Most Prevalent in High Plains Region

WASHINGTON, DC – As the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) celebrates its 35th anniversary, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) accepted another 3.4 million acres to the program earlier this year. Texas landowners placed more than 540,000 acres in the program during the general signup, which ended on February 28th, while Kansas and Colorado both added more than 435,000 acres each. CRP enrollees receive annual rental and other incentive payments for taking eligible land out of production for ten years or more. Voluntary retirement of cropland, according to FSA, provides numerous environmental benefits related to soil erosion, water quality, wildlife habitat provision, and other environmental services. As of January 2020, total CRP enrollment was 21.9 million acres, but approximately 5.4 million acres will expire in September. Under the 2018 Farm Bill, Congress requires 24.5 million acres to be enrolled in the program this year and 27 million acres enrolled by 2023.