Producers interested in offering land in an effort to protect millions of acres of topsoil from erosion and improve the nation’s natural resources, have until Friday, April 15, to do so. This is the second consecutive year that USDA has offered a general Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) sign-up.
The Conservation Reserve Program has protected the nation’s natural resources since 1985. In March 1986, the first CRP contract was signed, igniting a movement that has helped reduce soil erosion by 622 million tons, provided natural habitats for wildlife, restored more than 2 million acres of wetlands and removed millions of tons of carbon dioxide from the air.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says that although it was designed to address soil erosion, CRP has become one of the standouts in the USDA arsenal of conservation programs by continuing to provide significant economic and environmental benefits beyond its original intent.
Those interested in signing up should consult the local Farm Service Agency county office.