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National Grain and Feed Association opposes any effort to increase CRP acreage
The National Grain and Feed Association plans to fight any congressional attempt to increase acreage in the Conservation Reserve Program.
NFGA president Randy Gordon, who is retiring next month, says the USDA is already taking steps to potentially provide new incentives to entice farmers to enroll in CRP.
“They’ve already announced that they are going to extend the General Signup that’s currently underway and come up with another approach. States like Iowa in particular have been really devastated by some of the CRP enrollments.”
Speaking during the Iowa Agribusiness Showcase and virtual Conference Tuesday, Gordon said Senators like Iowa’s Joni Ernst have been actively pushing back on the enrollment of productive farmland into CRP.
“No one wants to farm environmentally-sensitive land or land that can compromise water quality, but we want it to be environmentally focused and not just to try to idle acreage in a futile attempt we would say to try and boost farm income.”
Last week as part of the announcement to extend the signup period for General CRP, USDA’s Robert Bonnie said the extension gives the Biden administration time to evaluate and implement changes to get this neglected program back on track.
