By Jason Vance

Signup is now underway for producers and landowners interested in enrolling acreage in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Continuous Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), with the current enrollment period running through March 20.

According to Farm Service Agency Administrator Bill Beam, the continuous signup marks the beginning of several Conservation Reserve Program enrollment opportunities scheduled for this year.

General CRP enrollment will open March 9 and continue through April 17. Dates for Grassland CRP signup have not yet been announced but are expected to be released soon.

Producers and landowners have multiple options when considering acreage for continuous CRP enrollment. Among them is the Clean Lakes, Estuaries, and Rivers initiative, known as CLEAR30. Beam described CLEAR30 as a long-term contract option lasting up to 30 years, designed to provide extended water quality benefits.

Another option is the Highly Erodible Land (HEL) initiative, which allows producers and landowners to enroll CRP acreage and establish long-term vegetative cover on the most highly erodible soils to reduce erosion and protect soil health.

The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) is also available. CREP focuses on high-priority conservation objectives identified by individual states and tribal governments, allowing for more targeted environmental improvements.

Additionally, the State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) initiative provides opportunities to address state-specific wildlife habitat needs.

Signup for all CRP offerings takes place at local Farm Service Agency offices, where producers can also receive more detailed information about program requirements and eligibility. Additional information is available online at fsa.usda.gov.

Beam noted that enrollment acreage will be limited this year.

“We only have about 1.9 million acres that are available for CRP enrollment,” Beam said, citing the statutory 27 million-acre cap on the program. “That being said, we’re going to be looking at our high-priority practices that really deliver real and lasting benefits to our soil, water and wildlife.”

The Conservation Reserve Program provides financial incentives to landowners who remove environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production and plant species that improve environmental quality, making it one of USDA’s key conservation tools.