USDA will accept 3.9 million acres offered by landowners during the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) general sign-up period that ended Apr. 13, Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack announced last week.
“As the commodities produced by our farmers and ranchers continue to perform strongly in the marketplace … it is no surprise that American producers also recognize the importance of protecting our nation’s most environmentally sensitive land by enrolling in CRP,” Vilsack said.
USDA received almost 48,000 offers on more than 4.5 million acres during the five-week sign-up. Currently, more than 736,000 contracts totaling almost 29.6 million acres are enrolled in the 26-year-old program.
Producers can still enroll through continuous signup programs targeting highly erodible land, sensitive grasslands and wetlands.