Agricultural producers and private landowners have through May 26 to sign up for a U.S. Department of Agriculture voluntary private-lands conservation program.
USDA’s Grassland Conservation Reserve Program signup for 2023 began on April 17, a news release said. The program allows landowners and producers “to continue grazing and haying practices while conserving grasslands and promoting plant and animal biodiversity,” plus healthier soil.
“Grassland CRP clearly demonstrates that agricultural productivity and conservation priorities can not only coexist but also complement and enhance one another,” USDA Farm Service Agency Administrator Zach Ducheneaux said in the release.
The program, signed into law in 1985 and which is part of the Conservation Reserve Program, has evolved from its initial goal of controlling soil erosion and stabilizing commodity prices by taking out of production marginal lands, the release said.
“The strength of this program lies in its many benefits — through annual rental payments, the program helps producers and landowners produce and maintain diverse wildlife habitat, sequester carbon in the soil, and support sound, sustainable grazing," Ducheneaux said in the release. "These benefits help keep agricultural lands in production while delivering lasting climate outcomes.”
In 2022, more than 3.1 million acres were accepted through the Grassland CRP signup, marking the highest enrollment ever for the program, according to the release.
“The current total participation in Grassland CRP is 6.3 million acres, which is part of the 23 million acres enrolled in CRP opportunities overall,” the release said.
Improvements have been made since 2021 to the Grassland CRP, including the creation of two National Priority Zones that “focus on environmentally sensitive land such as that prone to wind erosion.” Other improvements include "enhancing offers with 10 additional ranking points to producers and landowners who are historically underserved” and engaging Tribal nations in the Great Plains through the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, the release said.
