To combat climate change and achieve other natural resource benefits, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced agricultural producers and landowners can sign up for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).
Zach Ducheneaux, administrator of USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), said the department encourages people participate in the program, according to a Jan. 26 USDA press release.
“We highly encourage farmers, ranchers and private landowners to consider the enrollment options available through CRP,” he said in the release. “Last year, we rolled out a better, bolder program, and we highly encourage you to consider its higher payment rates and other incentives. CRP is another way that we’re putting producers and landowners at the center of climate-smart solutions that generate revenue and benefit our planet.”
The General CRP helps producers and landowners establish long-term, resource-conserving plant species, such as approved grasses or trees, to control soil erosion, improve water quality and enhance wildlife habitat on cropland, the USDA stated.
Anyone interested in signing up for the General CRP can do so through March 11, according to the release.
The Grassland CRP is a working lands program that helps landowners and operators protect grassland, including rangeland and pastureland, while maintaining the areas as working grazing lands, the release stated. Protecting grasslands contributes positively to the economy of many regions, provides biodiversity of plant and animal populations, and provides important carbon sequestration benefits to deliver lasting climate outcomes.
Anyone interested in signing up for the Grassland CRP can do so from April 4 – May 13, according to the USDA.
Agricultural producers and landowners enrolled more than 4 million acres in the General and Grassland CRP in 2021, the release stated.
Currently, the USDA said there are approximately 22 million acres enrolled in the programs and the department hopes to increase that to 25.5 million acres in 2022, according to the release.
