CASPER, WY, April 17, 2023 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that agricultural producers and private landowners can begin applying for the Grassland Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) signup starting April 17 through May 26, 2023. Among CRP enrollment opportunities, Grassland CRP is unique as a working lands program, allowing producers and landowners to continue grazing and haying practices while protecting grasslands and promoting plant and animal biodiversity and conservation. 

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USDA Announces Grassland Conservation Reserve Program Signups for 2023

CASPER, WY, April 17, 2023 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that agricultural producers and private landowners can begin applying for the Grassland Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) signup starting April 17 through May 26, 2023. Among CRP enrollment opportunities, Grassland CRP is unique as a working lands program, allowing producers and landowners to continue grazing and haying practices while protecting grasslands and promoting plant and animal biodiversity and conservation.  

“Grassland CRP clearly demonstrates that agricultural productivity and conservation priorities not only have the capacity to coexist, but also complement and enhance one another,” said William Bunce, FSA State Executive Director in Wyoming. “The strength of this program lies in its many benefits – it provides strong wildlife habitat, helps grasslands sequester large amounts of carbon, and supports sound sustainable grazing to keep the land in production rather than susceptible to growing development.”    

Protecting grasslands with CRP not only benefits participants with annual rental payments and cost share assistance; it also contributes positively to the economy of many regions, builds biodiversity, and provides important carbon sequestration benefits to deliver lasting climate outcomes.    

Additionally, this year FSA is offering a new Habitat Lease through the Grassland CRP signup. This new program will provide another option for Wyoming ranchers and producers who wish to participate in the USDA-Wyoming Big Game Conservation Partnership Pilot. As part of this Habitat Lease pilot, USDA has developed special guidance that allows better compatibility between USDA programs, enabling producers to stack different Farm Bill program benefits in new and innovative ways that may fit their specific requirements.

More than 3.1 million acres were accepted through the 2022 Grassland CRP signup from agricultural producers and private landowners. That signup—the highest ever for the program—reflects the continued success and value of investments in voluntary, producer-led, working lands conservation programs. The current total participation in Grassland CRP is 6.3 million acres, which is part of the 23 million acres enrolled in CRP opportunities overall. 

Since 2021, the USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), which administers all CRP programs, has made several improvements to Grassland CRP to broaden the program’s reach, including: 

  • Creating two National Priority Zones to put focus on environmentally sensitive land such as that prone to wind erosion.
    • Enhancing offers with 10 additional ranking points to producers and landowners who are historically underserved, including beginning farmers and military veterans.
    • Leveraging the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) to engage historically underserved communities within Tribal Nations in the Great Plains. 

How to Sign Up for Grassland CRP 

Landowners and producers interested in Grassland CRP, or any other CRP enrollment option, should contact their local USDA Service Center to learn more or to apply for the program before the deadlines.   

Producers with expiring CRP acres can enroll in the Transition Incentives Program (TIP), which incentivizes producers who sell or enter a long-term lease with a beginning, veteran, or socially disadvantaged farmer or rancher who plans to sustainably farm or ranch the land.  

Other CRP Signups   

General CRP signup was open from Feb. 27 through April 7. The program helps producers and landowners establish long-term, resource-conserving plant species, such as approved grasses or trees, to control soil erosion, improve water quality and enhance wildlife habitat on cropland. Additionally, General CRP includes a Climate-Smart Practice Incentive to increase carbon sequestration and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by helping producers and landowners establish trees and permanent grasses, enhance wildlife habitat, and restore wetlands.   

Under Continuous CRP, producers and landowners can enroll throughout the year. Offers are automatically accepted provided the producer and land meet the eligibility requirements and the enrollment levels do not exceed the statutory cap. The Climate-Smart Practice Incentive is also available in the Continuous signup.   

FSA offers several additional enrollment opportunities within Continuous CRP, including the State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) Initiative, the Farmable Wetlands Program (FWP), and the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). Also available is the Clean Lakes Estuaries and Rivers (CLEAR30) Initiative, originally piloted in twelve states but has been expanded nationwide, that allows producers and landowners to enroll in 30-year CRP contracts for water quality practices.  

More Information  

Signed into law in 1985, CRP is one of the largest voluntary private-lands conservation programs in the United States. It was originally intended to primarily control soil erosion and potentially stabilize commodity prices by taking marginal lands out of production. The program has evolved over the years, providing many conservation and economic benefits.    

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