News
USDA accepts more than 2.5 million acres in Grassland CRP Signup
The USDA has accepted more than 2.5 million acres from ag producers and private landowners for enrollment in the Grassland Conservation Reserve Program.
Which is more than double last year’s enrollment and brings the totals acres enrolled across all CRP signups in 2021 to more than 5.3 million acres, surpassing USDA’s goal of 4 million acres.
FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux says he believes the increased interest stems from changes made to the program.
“The changes we made back in April to CRP Continuous, CRP General, and CRP Grasslands have made this a viable option for growers again,” he says. “Changes that were made in the previous administration made it a less attractive alternative and we really had hoped to stem the tide of people leaving CRP and acres coming out and we have done that now with our CRP Grasslands announcement.”
Ducheneaux details some of those changes.
“We set a nationwide minimum rental rate of $15 per acre and that has really helped out producers that are out here working on some of the more arid plains participate in this program in a meaningful way,” he says. “We also had two special emphasis areas. One was the elk migratory corridor in the Rocky Mountain region. Another was a special emphasis area in the Dust Bowl area—western Kansas, southeastern Colorado, and the area that is prone to wind and soil erosion and in need of a little extra assistance.”
Through Grassland CRP, producers and landowners can conserve grasslands, rangelands, and pastures, while retaining the right to conduct common grazing practices, such as haying, mowing, or harvesting seed from the enrolled land, pursuant to approved conservation plans designed to promote thoughtful use while creating and maintaining vital habitat.
Ducheneaux describes CRP as the flagship conservation program in the agency. He says the voluntary program provides farmers a rental payment and incentivizes them to implement practices to improve soil health, wildlife habitat, and more.
Signup for all CRP programs, except CRP Continuous, is closed for 2021. It will open again in 2022.
Click here for more information.
Audio: Zach Ducheneaux
