USDA Expecting More CRP Acres in 2021 Signup

WASHINGTON, DC – Next year, USDA will begin the process of enrolling new and existing acres of conservation lands into the largest federally administered private land retirement program. Signup for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) will begin on January 4, 2021, and enrollment for the CRP Grasslands Program begins March 15, 2021. Under the CRP, landowners establish long-term, resource-conserving plant species, to control soil erosion, improve water quality, and enhance wildlife habitat on cropland. The general signup is held annually and awards contracts on a competitive basis. Currently, the program is aiming to have 27 million acres enrolled by 2023, under the direction of the 2018 Farm Bill. Under the CRP Grasslands program, landowners and operators protect rangeland, pastureland, and certain other lands while maintaining the areas for grazing. This program allows for continued grazing while the main CRP program doesn’t allow for haying or grazing except in dire situations and under the direction of the Secretary of Agriculture.
(SOURCE: All Ag News)