USDA Invests $1.7 Billion in CRP to Protect Sensitive Ag Lands

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will issue nearly $1.7 billion in payments to more than half of a million Americans who have contracts with the government to protect sensitive agricultural lands. The investment, part of the voluntary USDA Conservation Reserve Program, will allow producers to protect almost 24 million acres of wetlands, grasslands and wildlife habitat in 2016.

CRP provides financial assistance to farmers and ranchers who remove environmentally sensitive land from production to be planted with certain grasses, shrubs and trees that improve water quality, prevent soil erosion, and increase wildlife habitat. In return for enrolling in CRP, USDA, through the Farm Service Agency (FSA), provides participants with rental payments and cost-share assistance. Landowners enter into contracts that last between 10 and 15 years...   ...more

Ken Notes: This is an area where we could do a far better job. We do not work with the farmers on solutions but rather spend billions rewarding farmers for not using land that they in many cases they would not use anyway. We should acquire lands that are sensitive and look at uses that benefit both the farmer and the state. Also replanting these lands makes sense, I also like trails, access, tourism, and echo development...