USDA Announces Enticements for CRP

April 14, 2000

Faced with little interest in the Conservation Reserve Program’s continuous sign-up, USDA has announced a list of incentives designed to get farmers to enroll land along streams, rivers and other water sources.

A new package of incentives includes a one-time "signing bonus" of $100 per acre for 10-year continuous CRP contracts and $150 per acre for 15-year contracts; a new payment equal to 40% of the cost of establishing cover crops on buffers, bringing the total federal cost-share to 90%; an updated payment formula for marginal pasture land to better reflect the land’s value for forage, and new maintenance payments for cover on CRP buffers.

The National Conservation Buffer Council applauded the incentives. "The best reason for farmers and ranchers to install buffers just got better," said David Stawick, NCBC president. Stawick said the incentives should result in a new surge of interest in the CRP continuous sign-up.

"This has been the most financially attractive of USDA’s incentive programs for buffers since 1997 when (USDA) announced the goal of 2 million miles of new buffers by 2002." But farmers still r4esisted because of payment rates, especially in states where CRP had been less popular since it began in 1985, Stawick added.

In making the announcement, Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman said increases in maintenance rate incentives for such practices as tree planting, fencing or water development should add $2-5 per acre to existing maintenance rate incentives.

At present participation rates, USDA admits, enrollment would fall short of the 4-million acre goal, and USDA likely would not reach the 2-million mile buffer initiative goal.