Bill Extending CRP to 45 Million Acres Introduced

November 23, 1999

Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD) has introduced a bill to enlarge the Conservation Reserve Program to 45 million acres from the current limit of 36.4 million. A similar bill is pending in the House.

Allowing more acres into the CRP will "enhance our wildlife habitats and provide financial risk management for farmers and ranchers hurt by the agriculture crisis," says Johnson. The bill in the House is sponsored by Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN). Sens. Bob Kerrey (D-NE) and Paul Wellstone (D-MN) have co-sponsored Johnson's bill.

Since the 1996 farm law, says Johnson, the CRP has undergone significant changes: wildlife benefits provided by certain grass species and conservation practices are now heavily emphasized in the environmental benefits index (EBI) that helps determine eligibility for the program.

"While many of these changes have been welcomed because of the favorable effects they have on conservation and the environment, I have some concerns with certain requirements farmers face in relation to the EBI criteria," says Johnson, "and I will address those issues as we move forward with this bill."

Producers with existing CRP contracts that have tracts of land accepted for re-enrollment into the CRP have indicated that in certain cases they were required to plow under at least half the existing grass stand on those tracts to plant new grasses to meet the EBI criteria.

"This requirement has raised concerns that it may lead to soil erosion instead of soil conservation on tracts that are already highly erodible," Johnson says.