With more than 143,726 acres of buffers and more than 5,300 contracts, Mississippi has become a national conservation leader.

"Several factors, including incentives first available in 2000, have boosted the program," says Steve Melton, FSA conservation program specialist in Jackson, Mississippi. He also credits the work of USDA staff, broad applicability of the program, strong landowner interest, and the state's rich soils for Mississippi's success.

"This is one conservation program that is doing exactly what it was designed to do," says Melton.

The work of local FSA office staffs is essential, Melton says. "Nothing beats word-of-mouth outreach, and it is even more effective when you can ride down a county road or an interstate highway and see improvement happening on the ground," he says. "These buffers start fast and look great after just one year's growth. The change in land use is very dramatic and highly visible, even to someone not familiar with farming."

CRP buffer practices include Filter Strips and Riparian Buffers. The former are devoted to grasses, while the latter may be planted to a combination of trees, shrubs, and grasses. Both practices act as filters to remove nutrients and sediment from water running off land used for agricultural purposes.

Most of the state's soils are friendly to trees. "Mississippi farmers and landowners know this, and they’re planting these buffers for the long-term," says Melton. "Ninety-two percent of our buffers are planted to trees. That's almost 132,481 acres providing ideal water quality, wildlife, and erosion-control benefits on the most environmentally sensitive lands in the state."

About 12,000 acres were enrolled in the first three years that Filter Strips and Riparian Buffers were available through CRP. "In the four years following the addition of incentives for contract holders, we've enrolled an average of 1,100 contracts on 27,000 acres per year," Melton says.

Marginal pastureland eligibility has been a big plus, too. "Part of the appeal of the buffer practices is that they provide something for livestock producers," Melton says. Almost 35,540 acres of Mississippi's CRP buffer practice contracts are on marginal pastureland acres. Cost-share assistance for fencing, crossings, and watering facilities helps to sell the program.

"Although these are big numbers, you don't have to be a big farmer to take advantage of this program. It doesn't matter whether your farm is 20 acres or 20,000 acres, if you have eligible land and want to install a CRP buffer practice, you can have a contract," he says. "And signup is like a convenience store; continuous CRP signup for certain practices including Filter Strips and Riparian Buffers is open all the time, and there are no long lines."

Jack Winstead is among Mississippi producers who have installed CRP Riparian Buffers on their land. He's shown here near one of the buffers on his livestock operation.