WASHINGTON, DC – For the first time in history, producers and landowners offered nearly 4 million acres of land for enrollment in this year’s Grassland Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Signup.
Of those acres offered, USDA accepted more than 2.5 million, doubling last year’s enrollment and bringing the program to a total of 5.3 million acres nationwide, surpassing the government’s 4 million-acre goal.
Through Grassland CRP, producers and landowners can conserve grasslands, rangelands, and pastures, while retaining the right to conduct common grazing practices, such as haying, mowing, or harvesting seed from the enrolled land, under approved conservation plans designed to promote thoughtful use while creating and maintaining vital habitat.
To encourage greater participation, USDA rolled out several updates including a higher minimum payment rate and establishing new national priority zones for Grassland CRP.
The top states for producers submitting offers included Colorado, South Dakota, Nebraska, Montana, and New Mexico.
In addition to the more than 2.5 million acres enrolled in Grassland CRP, almost 1.9 million acres in offers were accepted through the General CRP Signup while 902,000 more acres were enrolled in the Continuous Signup.
(SOURCE: All Ag News)