The highest rental rate per acre was $50.95 and the lowest per acre was $36.

Kansas had 201,414 acres accepted out of the one million acres approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

CRP is America's largest and most effective private lands conservation program; with over 36 million acres enrolled. The voluntary program is available to agricultural producers in an effort to safeguard environmentally sensitive land.

The program focuses on the most environmentally fragile cropland acres based on cost and the environmental benefits index (EBI) factors of soil erosion, water quality, enduring benefits, air quality and wildlife enhancement.

In its 20-year existence, CRP has accrued a wealth of benefits for the United States at a national average cost of less than $49 per acre annually.

As of April, CRP has restored 2 million acres of wetlands, 2 million acres of buffers and has reduced soil erosion by 454 million tons each year.

Farmers and rancher participate by planting grasses and trees in crop fields and along streams. The plantings stop soil and nutrients from washing into regional waterways, contaminating the air, and provide habitat for wildlife. -Elizabeth Morris, student intern, Marion County FSA