Ag Policy Blog

OMAHA (DTN) -- USDA's Farm Service Agency is opening up enrollment periods for both the Continuous and General Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).

FSA offices will accept applications for Continuous CRP acres from Feb. 12 through March 20. Signup for General CRP will run from March 9 through April 17. USDA stated enrollment dates for Grassland CRP will be announced later.

USDA's Undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation Richard Fordyce said USDA is approaching its 27-million-acre statutory cap with 1.9 million acres available for enrollment through CRP's different contract options. So, enrollment is likely to be competitive, he said.

"This isn't about the total number of acres enrolled, it's about producers and landowners offering and USDA accepting the acres that can best deliver real, lasting benefits to soil, water and wildlife," Fordyce said.

Continuous CRP typically enrolls smaller tracts than General CRP, but includes wetlands, riparian buffers and wildlife habitat. Participants receive cost-share support and annual rental payments. Continuous CRP also has a handful of initiatives that include incentive payments such as Clean Lakes, Estuaries and Rivers (CLEAR) and State Acres for Wildlife Enhancements (SAFE).

General CRP offers are run through a competitive bid process with offers ranked and scored by FSA based on environmental benefits. USDA offers contracts after all ranking and scoring is completed.

USDA reports on CRP also show contracts for 1.5 million acres are set to expire for FY 2026 at the end of September. Illinois, Iowa, Kansas and Washington each have more than 100,000 acres of contracts expiring this year.

For more details, landowners should check with their local FSA office.

CRP BREAKDOWN BY CONTRACT AND AVERAGE RENTAL PAYMENT

General: 7.75 million acres, average rent $57 per acre.

Continuous: 7.29 million acres, average rent $145 per acre.

Grasslands: 9.68 million acres, average rent $16 per acre.

CREP: 764,422 acres, average rent $191 per acre.

Wetlands: 344,683 acres, average rent $177 per acre.

TOP TEN STATES FOR TOTAL CRP ENROLLMENT

Colorado: 2.96 million acres, average rental payment $23.77 per acre.

South Dakota: 2.63 million acres, average rental payment $55.31 per acre.

Nebraska: 2.4 million acres, average rental payment $39.85 per acre.

Texas: 2.2 million acres, average rental payment $33.45 per acre.

Kansas: 2.03 million acres, average rental payment $38.70 per acre.

Iowa: 1.67 million acres, average rental payment $241.95 per acre.

New Mexico: 1.2 million acres, average rental payment $17.93 per acre.

North Dakota: 1.19 million acres, average rental payment $61.88 per acre.

Minnesota: 963,702 acres, average rental payment $165.62 per acre.

Oregon: 953,513 acres, average rental payment $35.13 per acre.

Chris Clayton can be reached at Chris.Clayton@dtn.com

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