Signup for CRP designation to begin Jan. 18

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN BY STAFF
Agricultural producers can sign up for the Conservation Reserve Program beginning Jan. 18, according to the Farm Service Agency in Marion.

CRP gives producers the opportunity to participate in a cost-effective, voluntary permanent conservation practice program. Through the program, producers are able to improve their land, water and wildlife resources, while assuring themselves of payments based on local acreage rental rates.

Cost-share assistance, up to 50 percent, is available to help cover participants? costs in establishing approved practices. Contracts range from 10 to 15 years.

This also is the time for participants with contracts expiring in the fall of 2000 to submit new contract offers.

Sign up continues through Feb. 11 and will be held in U.S. Department of Agriculture local service centers.

To be eligible for CRP, land must be crop land planted or considered planted to an agricultural commodity in two of the previous five crop years.

In addition, land must meet one of five other conditions. It must be:

— considered highly erodible, according to the conservation compliance provision,

— a cropped wetland;

— subject to scour erosion

— located in a national or state CRP conservation priority area;

— crop land associated with noncropped wetlands.

Producer are required to have owned or operated the land they intend to offer for at least 12 months prior to close of the sign up period. The exception is if the land were acquired as a result of the death of the previous owner.

Offers are evaluated and ranked using an Environmental Benefits Index based on the potential environmental benefits gained from enrolling the land in the CRP.

Although requirements are similar to those used for the last sign-up, those meeting previous requirements are not guaranteed a contract.

To strengthen a bid, producers should consider offering the most environmentally sensitive lands, enhance practice covers for the benefit of wildlife, forego the acceptance of practice establishment cost share, and be willing to accept a lower rental payment rate than the maximum total the Farm Service Agency is willing to offer.

This year, national CRP participation has been limited to 36.4 million acres by congress. Only 1.5 million acres are available for CRP acceptance before reaching the limit.

One way to avoid the competitive Environmental Benefits Index is to enroll the most environmentally desirable land under the continues sign up program.

This program accepts relatively small amounts of land serving much larger areas, such as filter strips or grassed waterways.

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