The U.S. Department of Agriculture will accept more than 3.1 million acres in this year's Conservation Reserve Program Grassland signup.
The CRP Grassland signup allows landowners and producers to graze animals and harvest hay while protecting grasslands and promoting plant and animal biodiversity and conservation, according to a July 12 USDA news release. It also is part of the Biden administration's "broader effort to address climate change and to conserve natural resources."
"This year's record-breaking Grassland CRP signup demonstrates the continued success and value of investments in voluntary, producer-led, working lands conservation programs," USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack said in the news release. "Grassland CRP clearly demonstrates, time and time again, that conservation priorities and agricultural productivity not only have the capacity to coexist but also complement and enhance one another."
The nation's food producers, who make up the bulk of property owners in the program, play an important role in the CRP Grassland signup, the release reported.
"Through all our working land conservation programs, farmers and ranchers play a critical role in helping secure the future of both our food production and our natural resources," Vilsack added, according to the release.
Nationwide, this year's Grassland CRP signup surpassed the 2.5 million acres accepted last year by 22%, with producers enrolling about 2 million acres so far this year through the general signup. More than 464,000 acres have been submitted through the Continuous CRP signup, according to the release. Those figures put USDA on track for about 5.6 million acres to enter CRP in 2023, significantly more than the 3.9 million acres set to expire this year.
"Grasslands enrolled in CRP help sequester carbon in vegetation and soil, while enhancing resilience to drought and wildfire," the news release said. "Meanwhile, producers can still conduct common grazing practices, such as haying, mowing or harvesting seed from the enrolled land, which supports ag production."
