USDA Accepts 2.5 Million Acres in CRP
May 22, 2000
USDA will enroll 2.46 million acres of environmentally sensitive farm land into the Conservation Reserve Program. That increases the total enrollment in the CRP to about 33.5 million acres effective Oct. 1, when the latest batch of contracts becomes effective.
Contracts on some 420,000 acres now in the CRP will expire Sept. 30. Of this land, about 266,000 acres were offered for re-enrollment and about 206,000 of those acres will be re-enrolled. Approximately 31.4 million acres now are enrolled; the expiration of contracts on 420,000 acres on Sept. 30 and the beginning of contracts on the 2.46 million approved during the latest sign-up will result in an enrollment of 33.5 million acres on Oct,. 1, not including enrollment in the continuous sign-up between April and September. The statutory limit on the CRP is 36.4 million acres. At least 3.1 million acres are reserved for the continuous sign-up.
Contracts usually run for 10 years, but land for practices such as hardwood trees, wildlife corridors or restoration of cropped wetlands or rare and declining habitat may be in the CRP for up to 15 years, depending on what the producer prefers.
USDA used an environmental benefits index (EBI) based on seven factors in the competitive selection process. The EBI for this sign-up (the 20th) essentially was unchanged from the last general sing-up. CRP offers with an EBI score of 246 or greater were considered acceptable for enrollment.
The EBI factors used were (1) wildlife habitat cover benefits that encourage covers and habitats on contract acreage that will be most beneficial to wildlife; (2) water quality benefits from reduced erosion, runoff and leaching; (3) on-farm benefits of reduced erosion; (4) enduring benefits; (5) air quality benefits from reduced wind erosion; (6) benefits of enrollment in conservation priority areas where enrollment would contribute to the improvement of water quality, wildlife habitat or air quality, and (7) cost.