February 2011
USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA), Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC), and the State of Delaware have agreed to implement a voluntary Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) to improve the water quality of certain streams and increase wildlife habitat.
This voluntary program encourages farmers to enroll in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) in contracts of 10- to 15-years duration to remove lands from agricultural production. CRP is a CCC program implemented through FSA.
Project areas are the coastal plains in the Chesapeake, Delaware, and Inland Bays basin areas.
Program Goals
Delaware CREP goals are to:
- Reduce nutrient and sediment loadings in impaired streams;
- Improve water temperature and levels of dissolved oxygen, which are necessary to support biology and wildlife; and
- Increase upland wildlife habitat and create wildlife corridors.
Eligible Practices
The Delaware CREP is authorized to enroll up to 10,000 acres devoted to the following CRP practices:
- Shallow Water Areas for Wildlife (CP9)
- Grass Filter Strips (CP21)
- Wetland Restoration (CP23)
- Wetland Restoration non-flood plain (CP23A)
Placement of practices must adjoin impaired streams or contributing drainage ditches in designated project areas.
Payments and Incentives
CCC will pay 50 percent of the reimbursable costs of establishing conservation practices. The State of Delaware will pay an additional 37.5 percent.
Annual rental payments will be based on the soil rental rate, as calculated by FSA.
- 195 percent of the county rental rate for land established to riparian buffers, hardwood trees, and wetland restorations, not to exceed $150 per acre, plus a maintenance payment; or
- 132 percent of the county rental rate for land established to wildlife habitat, grassed filter strips, and shallow water areas, not to exceed $110 per acre, plus a maintenance payment.
The state's cost-share and incentive payment will be calculated for the length of the contract and paid in its first year.
Eligibility
CREP applications must satisfy the basic eligibility criteria for the CRP.
Participants must agree to establish and maintain eligible practices under a 10- to 15-year contract.
Land must have been cropped 4 of the previous 6 years (2002 - 2007) and be physically and legally capable of being cropped. Marginal pastureland is also eligible provided it is suitable for use as a riparian buffer planted to trees.
Sign-Up Information
CREP enrollment began June 7, 1999 and operates on a continuous basis. Interested parties are encouraged to contact the nearest USDA Service Center. The telephone number for each Delaware Service Center is:
- Kent County - (302) 741-2600
- New Castle County - (302) 832-3100
- Sussex County - (302) 856-3990
For More Information
For more information on the Delaware CREP, contact your local USDA Service Center, Farm Service Agency (FSA) office, or Soil and Water Conservation District office.
Additional information is also available on FSA’s web site at: 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, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (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 USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C., 20250-9410, or call (202) 720-5964 (voice or TDD).
USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
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