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NACo Extension fellow
Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman unveiled the Administration's final regulations governing the Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). This announcement ushers in a redesign of the CRP that targets the most environmentally sensitive agricultural land. "Under the new CRP, we will protect about 36 million acres of our most environmentally sensitive lands," said Glickman.
Outlined under the new CRP ruling are three primary goals: erosion reduction, improvement of water quality and the enhancement of wildlife habitat. These criteria will be used to evaluate and enroll land into the CRP.
USDA will use an Environmental Benefits Index to rank offers, weighing the benefits to wildlife habitat, erosion control, water quality, air quality and costs of applicant land against the benefits of keeping the land in agricultural production.
A major change in the CRP ruling includes the definition of eligible land. The rule defines eligible land as land that has been planted or considered planted with an agricultural commodity two of the last five most recent crop years, or must be capable of being planted with an agricultural commodity.
The rule also makes marginal pasture land eligible if it is either currently enrolled in the Water Bank Program or will be devoted to a riparian buffer to be planted with trees. According to USDA officials, incidental grazing will be allowed, but with a 50 percent payment reduction.
No existing CRP contracts that expire on Sept. 30 will be extended. Detailed information on the program will be available in local Farm Service Agency offices beginning March 3. The sign-up period will be conducted from March 3 through March 28.
In addition to the new CRP ruling, another conservation priority area
has been added to the list. The Prairie Pothole Region joins the Chesapeake
Bay, Long Island Sound and Great Lakes regions in their designations as
National Conservation Priority areas.