CRP Signup
USDA Launches New Bobwhite Conservation Pilot and Announces General Conservation Reserve Program Signup
WASHINGTON, March 2, 2024 –The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the launch of a new conservation initiative – Working Lands for Wildlife’s Northern Bobwhite Pilot Project, as well as the signup dates for USDA’s General Enrollment signup in the Conservation Reserve Program (General CRP), which opens March 4. Both conservation opportunities give producers tools to conserve wildlife habitat while achieving other conservation benefits, including sequestering carbon and improving water quality and soil health.
Producers and landowners interested in either opportunity should contact the FSA and NRCS at their local Service Center. Those interested in General CRP should apply by March 29, 2024. Those interested in Northern Bobwhite Pilot Project should contact NRCS to sign up now.
USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program Pays More Than $1.77 Billion to America’s Producers
WASHINGTON, Oct. 16, 2023 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued more than $1.77 billion this year to agricultural producers and landowners through its Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), a critical piece of the Department’s efforts to support climate-smart agriculture and forestry on working lands. Right now, CRP’s more than 667,000 participants received payments from USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) for their voluntary conservation efforts on more than 23 million acres of private land. Since 2021, CRP has grown by 21 percent in terms of acres enrolled, testament to the Biden-Harris administration’s program improvement efforts.
Are you ready to enroll?
CRP general signup opportunities and information
General CRP helps producers and landowners establish long-term, resource-conserving plant species, such as approved grasses or trees, to control soil erosion, improve water quality and enhance wildlife habitat on cropland. There are currently 23 million acres enrolled, and FSA is aiming to reach the 27-million-acre cap statutorily set for fiscal year 2023. Read the CRP General Signup fact sheet for more information.
In 2021, the USDA introduced higher payment rates, new incentives, and a more targeted focus on the program’s role in climate change mitigation. To learn more about updates to CRP, read the “What’s New with CRP” fact sheet.
CRP updates
The 2018 Farm Bill raised the CRP acreage cap from 24 million to 27 million acres by FY 2023. This includes a minimum allocation of 2 million acres for CRP Grasslands.
During a CRP general signup, land is offered into the program on a competitive basis and ranked based on environmental benefits and costs. 2.07 million acres (90% of offers) were accepted during the last CRP general signup, including 58,936 acres in Nebraska.
Environmental Benefits Index
Because CRP is competitive, not all offers will be accepted into the program. Environmental Benefits Index (EBI) factors are used to score and rank each tract of land offered for general enrollment. The following fact sheets provide an overview of EBI factors, as well as insight on how producers can maximize EBI points and increase the likelihood that an offer will be accepted.
CRP General EBI fact sheet
EBI quick hitters
Soil Rental Rates
The 2018 Farm Bill limits CRP soil rental rates general CRP and continuous CRP enrollment contracts to not more than 85% and 90% of the average county rental rate, respectively.
Nebraska Soil Rental Rates for General CRP
Nebraska Soil Rental Rates for Continuous CRP
CRP Practice Fact Sheets
CP38 Upland Wildlife SAFE
CP21 Filter Strips
CP27/28 Farmable Wetlands and Wetland Buffers
CP33 Field Borders
CP42 Pollinator Habitat
CP43 Prairie Strips
Habitat Management Fact Sheets
CRP Establishment and Management for Wildlife
CRP Management
Shrub Establishment
Smooth Brome Management
Invasive Tree Management
Patch-Burn Grazing
For more information on CRP, visit fsa.usda.gov or contact your local USDA Service Center.
Download the meeting schedule flyer
Contact your local USDA Service Center
Landowners and producers interested in CRP should contact their local USDA Service Center to learn more or to apply for the program.
FSA administers CRP while conservation planning assistance is provided by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and technical service providers (TSP) including Pheasants Forever’s Farm Bill Wildlife Biologists. To submit a CRP offer, producers must contact their local FSA office. FSA will accept offers only during the enrollment period. Producers are also encouraged to consult with NRCS or Farm Bill Wildlife Biologists to discuss conservation goals and options to increase the likelihood that a CRP offer will be accepted.
To find your local USDA office contact information, click here.
Additional Resources:
USDA Expands and Renews Conservation Reserve Program in Effort to Boost Enrollment
There are currently 23 million acres enrolled, and FSA is aiming to reach the 27-million-acre cap statutorily set for fiscal year 2023. To help increase producer interest and enrollment, FSA has taken the following actions:
- Adjusting soil rental rates. This enables additional flexibility for rate adjustments, including a possible increase in rates where appropriate.
- Increasing payments for Practice Incentives from 20% to 50%. This incentive for continuous CRP practices is based on the cost of establishment and is in addition to cost share payments.
- Increasing payments for water quality practices. Rates are increasing from 10% to 20% for certain water quality benefiting practices available through the CRP continuous signup, such as grassed waterways, riparian buffers, and filter strips.
- Establishing a CRP Grassland minimum rental rate. This benefits more than 1,300 counties with rates currently below the minimum.
Contact a biologist
Pheasants Forever’s Farm Bill Wildlife Biologists work one-on-one with landowners in Nebraska to help them enroll in local, state, and federal conservation programs such as CRP. Biologists also provide technical assistance for CRP establishment, cover upgrades, and other management activities. Contact a biologist to schedule a field visit or to discuss enrollment opportunities. We also have a series of habitat management fact sheets and videos that might help answer your questions.
Need more incentives to enroll?
Landowners may qualify for incentives by working with a private lands biologist from the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Additionally, landowners may receive up to $10 per acre in exchange for providing public hunting access on CRP. Through the Berggren Plan for Pheasants, the Commission is concentrating on improving habitat and hunter access in 8 areas of Nebraska. For more information, visit CRPsignup.com or reach out to a Nebraska Game and Parks Commission biologist by contacting an office near you.
Signup Period: March 4 to March 29, 2024
Producers with eligible lands compete nationally for acceptance based on an environmental benefits index (EBI) during specified enrollment periods. Producers may submit offers below soil-specific maximum rental rates and select wildlife-enhancing vegetative covers to increase EBI ranking.
Signup period is ongoing.
Producers with eligible lands may enroll certain high priority conservation practices, such as filter strips, riparian buffers, and wetlands at any time during the year without competition. In addition to annual soil rental payment and cost-share assistance, many practices are eligible for additional annual and one-time up-front financial incentives.
Signup Period: TBA
CRP Grasslands helps landowners and operators protect grassland, including rangeland, pastureland, and certain other lands while maintaining the areas as grazing lands. No cropping history is required. A separate CRP Grasslands signup is offered each year following general signup.
Open Fields and Waters (OFW) is a voluntary program that offers financial incentives to landowners willing to allow public walk-in access for hunting, trapping, and/or fishing. Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) fields and other undisturbed grasslands are ideal for OFW. To enroll in OFW, contact your local Nebraska Game & Parks Commission office.
