It was recently announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that a new signup period is underway for landowners and agricultural producers who want to enroll farmland in the Continuous Conservation Reserve Program (CCRP). To set aside crop land into a variety of conservation practices that best address the natural resource concerns on a farm, an application must be submitted to a county Farm Service Agency (FSA).
Over the past four decades, CRP has provided financial and technical support to farm operators who voluntarily convert cropland to beneficial vegetative cover, all in the effort to improve water quality, prevent soil erosion and add beneficial wildlife habitat.
Richard Fordyce, USDA’s Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation, shared how nationwide we are very close to the “27-million acre statutory cap with 1.9 million acres available for all CRP enrollments this fiscal year…” So it’s very likely that this enrollment period will be somewhat competitive. As Fordyce further added, “This isn’t about the total number of acres enrolled, it’s about producers and landowners offering and USDA accepting acres that can best deliver real, lasting benefits to soil, water, and wildlife.”
New acreage offered in any of the continuous CRP conservation practices will be considered for acceptance on a first-come, first-serve basis, with priority towards those that address water quality issues. Additional practices that restore native ecosystems or target specific resource concerns will also be considered. Offers to re-enroll expiring CRP continuous acreage will be also be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis. The initial signup period for this round opened on February 12th and will run through March 20, 2026.
A few additional conservation practice options exist through the General Conservation Reserve Program. Applications to General CRP will be accepted beginning on March 9th and will run through April 17th. General CRP is somewhat competitive in that there is a ‘ranking system’, based on the Environmental Benefits Index (EBI) associated with an individual’s farm. The local Farm Service Agency will rank the ag producer’s offer and will inform them if their score has met the “threshold”, which is yet to be determined.
What is most important at this point is to get the signup process started, first by contacting your local FSA office to inform them of your interest and intent. You can reach the Erie-Huron County FSA office at 419-668-4113 or at Jessica.holden@usda.gov. Contact your local FSA, NRCS or SWCD office if you’d like more information about any of the CRP conservation practice options that are available.
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