Land enrolled in CRP as a result of continuous signup has made a significant impact on erosion control and water quality in Vanderburgh County. In fact, of the county's 570 acres enrolled in CRP, half are small acreages enrolled in high-value CRP continuous signup practices. The program has allowed farmers to improve their farmland and benefit the county's large urban population.

At first, CRP was not very popular in Vanderburgh County. The growing population of nearby Evansville was pushing the value of farmland far beyond its agricultural value. Landowners near the city did not want to tie up their land for the ten-year contract period because of its potential value for development. Other county farms were in greater demand for crop production because of the shrinking cropland area.

Since 1996, however, the number of CRP contracts in Vanderburgh County has mushroomed from 30 to almost 140 contracts. The growth is the direct result of the option to enroll continuous CRP signup practices such as Filter Strips and Riparian Buffers. By devoting relatively small acreages to these CRP practices, agricultural producers can target major erosion and water quality issues without sacrificing the productivity of entire fields or tying up possible development sites. Financial assistance provided through CRP such as cost sharing for practice installation and incentive payments helps farmers afford to make the environmental improvements.

In addition to controlling soil erosion, the CRP practices also allow producers to scout and monitor crops by giving them additional field access. Farmers can use filter strips to get to parts of crop fields that were previously difficult to reach. CRP has also been good for farm/urban relationships.

As residential communities continue to expand into farming areas, the reduced erosion, improved water, enhanced wildlife habitat, and overall aesthetics that result from CRP acreage allow townspeople to experience firsthand what their rural neighbors have long known: farmers are excellent stewards of the land and take care of what God has given them to use.

This waterway in a no-till corn field is over 1600 feet long with a watershed in excess of 60 acres.

This CRP Filter Strip controls stream bank erosion and protects water quality by keeping cattle out of the stream. The Filter Strip and use of a rotational grazing system enable the producer to better manage the herd.