ARCHIVED
October 2006
In October 2006, USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA) unveiled a Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Longleaf Pine Initiative designed to reforest up to 250,000 acres of longleaf pine forests in nine southern states.
Producers in the following states may be eligible to participate in the CRP Longleaf Pine Initiative: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia. A PDF version of this fact sheet contains a complete list of eligible counties: CLICK HERE. Sign-up is continuous provided eligibility requirements are met.
Longleaf pine was once the dominant tree species on an estimated 60 million acres and in the mix of species on another 30 million acres along the coastal plain from east Texas, the mountains of Alabama, northwest Georgia and the Virginia piedmont. Longleaf pine stands declined over the past 100 years and today occupy fewer than four million acres of the historic range. Longleaf pine forests provide numerous environmental benefits including wildlife habitat.
CRP is a voluntary program that provides annual rental payments and cost-share assistance to restore long-term, resource-conserving covers on eligible land. FSA makes annual rental payments based on the agriculture rental value of the land and provides cost-share assistance up to 50 percent of the participant's costs to establish CRP practices. Contracts are from 10 to 15 years. Authorized by the Food Security Act of 1985, CRP is administered by FSA on behalf of USDA's Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC).
Key provisions of the continuous sign-up enhancements include: - A one-time up front signing incentive payment (SIP) of $100 per acre for CRP contracts for 10 or more years, which will be paid by CCC after eligible criteria are met and the CRP contract is approved; and
- A one-time practice incentive payment (PIP) equal to 40 percent of the eligible installation costs for certain practices on Continuous CRP land. CCC will issue PIP payments after the CRP practice is installed, eligible costs are verified and other payment eligibility criteria are met.
The following requirements apply during the life of the contract: - Plantings must be protected from grazing by domestic livestock;
- Chemicals used in performing the practice must not include fertilizers and be:
- Federally, state and locally registered; and
- Applied according to authorized registered uses, label directions, and other Federal or state policies and requirements;
- The practice has periodic management activities performed according to the conservation plan; and
- The producer controls all noxious and invasive.
For example: - The offered acreage meets the CRP cropping history requirement;
- The site falls within the Longleaf Pine National Conservation Priority Area (CPA) and meets proper soil and other site conditions, making it appropriate for longleaf pine planting where necessary and feasible; and
- The total acreage for all longleaf pine (CP36) acreage enrolled in a state does not exceed a state's allocation.
Continuous sign-up provides management flexibility to farmers and ranchers to implement certain high-priority conservation practices on eligible land.
Offers to CCC are accepted provided the acreage and producer meet certain eligibility requirements. The per-acre annual rental rate may not exceed CCC's maximum payment amount based on the rental rate for the three predominant soils for where the land is located. While acceptance is not determined in a competitive offer process, producers may elect to receive an amount less than the maximum payment rate.
Sign-up begins Dec. 1, 2006, at local FSA offices for the CRP Longleaf Pine Initiative and runs continuously until the 250,000-acre goal is met, or Dec. 31, 2007, whichever comes first.
To be eligible for this practice, land must be in the nine states, within the historic range of the longleaf pine and soils suitable for longleaf pine. In addition, land must first meet the basic CRP eligibility requirements. Acceptable land is cropland that was planted or considered planted (including field margins) to an agricultural commodity in four out of six years between 1996 and 2001 and which is also physically and legally capable of being planted for manner normal for an agricultural commodity.
If a tenant, the producer must participate with an eligible owner or operator.
Rental rates are based on three predominant soils for land offered for enrollment. FSA bases rental rates on the average value of dryland cash rent for the past three years and adjusts rates to reflect the relative productivity of soils within each county. The maximum CRP rental rate is calculated in advance of enrollment.
In addition to the payments described above, CCC will pay up to 50 percent of the eligible cost of establishing a permanent cover.
The effective date of the CRP contract is the first day of the month following the month of approval. In certain circumstances, producers may defer the effective date for up to six months.
Contracts are for not less than 10, nor more than 15 years.
CRP is administered by USDA's FSA with assistance from USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS); USDA Forest Service; and local soil and water conservation districts. Producers can research program details and offer acreage for enrollment at their local USDA office, which is listed in telephone books under "United States Government, U.S. Department of Agriculture."
More information about FSA and its programs can be found on the FSA Web site at: http://www.fsa.usda.gov.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of Discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
|
