U.S. Department of Agriculture and three Great Plains Tribal Nations are partnering through the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program.
The partnership will "help conserve, maintain and improve grassland productivity, reduce soil erosion and enhance wildlife habitat, according to a Nov. 17 news release. The Cheyenne River, Oglala and Rosebud Sioux Tribes are entering into agreements with the Farm Service Agency to enroll grassland, pastureland and other lands in the conservation program.
"This is a historic milestone for USDA and will substantially bolster our efforts to deploy climate-smart agriculture and conservation in the Great Plains," FSA Farm Programs Deputy Administrator Scott Marlow said in the news release. "It is vital that programs like CREP are not just available but also accessible to all agricultural communities."
The partnership is formed around the first-ever CREP agreements in partnership with Tribal Nations, which reflect USDA's priorities and goals to broaden scope and reach of voluntary, incentive-based conservation programs that engage underserved communities, the release said.
"These agreements underscore not only our strong commitment to equity, but also the vital contribution Native communities make to our country's agriculture and conservation efforts," Marlow said in the release.
The CREP agreements authorize enrollment of up to 1.5 million acres by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, up to 1 million acres by the Oglala Sioux Tribe and up to 600,000 acres by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, the release reported.
CREP is an offshoot of the Farm Service Agency's Conservation Reserve Program, the nation's largest private-land conservation program. CREP leverages federal and non-federal funds to work with specific tribal lands and state, regional or nationally significant conservation concerns. CREP currently has 36 projects in 27 states that have more than 860,000 acres enrolled nationally, according to the release.
