USDA Conservation Reserve Program Payments Headed to Producers

October 15, 2019 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency (FSA) has started issuing 2019 Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) payments to over 350,000 American farmers and ranchers to support voluntary conservation efforts on private lands.

There were more than 250,000 acres of land enrolled in CRP this past year for certain water-quality practices, with over 22 million acres total enrolled across our nation. 2019 CRP payments totaled more than $1.7 billion in annual rental payments.

CRP is a voluntary program that contracts with agricultural producers so environmentally sensitive agricultural land is not farmed or ranched but instead used for conservation benefits. CRP participants establish long-term, resource-conserving plant species to control soil erosion, improve water quality and develop wildlife habitat. In return, FSA provides participants with rental payments and cost-share assistance.

FSA is planning a CRP general signup in December 2019, with a CRP Grasslands signup to follow. Official dates for these signups and other CRP signup opportunities will be announced in the future.