USDA to conduct CRP general signup
February 19, 2013 | 06:33 PM
The Agriculture Department will conduct a four-week general sign-up for the Conservation Reserve Program, beginning May 20 and ending on June 14, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Saturday at the National Pheasant Fest and Quail Classic in Minneapolis.
The CRP pays farms to idle lands to improve the environment and create wildlife habitat.
Additional sign-ups for continuous CRP programs — such as Highly Erodible Land Initiative and Initiative to Restore Grasslands, Wetlands and Wildlife — will be announced in the spring, Vilsack said in a news release.
About 27 million acres are enrolled in CRP. Contracts on 3.3 million acres of CRP are set to expire on September 30. With commodity prices high, farmers and landowners have been inclined in recent years to take land out of the program to use for production.
The CRP pays farms to idle lands to improve the environment and create wildlife habitat.
Additional sign-ups for continuous CRP programs — such as Highly Erodible Land Initiative and Initiative to Restore Grasslands, Wetlands and Wildlife — will be announced in the spring, Vilsack said in a news release.
About 27 million acres are enrolled in CRP. Contracts on 3.3 million acres of CRP are set to expire on September 30. With commodity prices high, farmers and landowners have been inclined in recent years to take land out of the program to use for production.
