CRP results announced; report acres

On Friday, May 25, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will accept 3.9 million acres offered under the 43rd Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) general signup.

During the extended five-week signup, the department received nearly 48,000 offers on more than 4.5 million acres of land, demonstrating the CRP's continuing leadership as one of our nation's most successful voluntary efforts ever to conserve land and improve our soil, water, air and wildlife habitat resources.

Under Secretary Vilsack's leadership, USDA has now enrolled nearly 12 million acres in CRP since 2009. Currently, there are more than 29.6 million acres enrolled on more than 736,000 contracts. The program was created as part of the Food Security Act of 1985 (Ag Secretary at the time -- John R. Block), and has been a popular "environment enhancing" program since.

"For more than 25 years, lands in CRP have helped to support strong incomes for our farmers and ranchers and produce good middle-class jobs throughout the country related to outdoor recreation, hunting and fishing," said Vilsack. "As the commodities produced by our farmers and ranchers continue to perform strongly in the marketplace -- supporting 1 out of every 12 jobs here in the United States -- it is no surprise that American producers also recognize the importance of protecting our nation's most environmentally sensitive land by enrolling in CRP."

Enrollment of the new 3.9 million acres will allow USDA to continue important targeting of CRP acres through continuous signup initiatives -- including those announced earlier this year for highly-erodible land, as well as grasslands and wetlands -- while also maintaining and enhancing the significant benefits that the program has already achieved. The two continuous sign-ups announced earlier this year will target an additional 1.75 million acres in total.

CRP is a voluntary program designed to help farmers, ranchers and other agricultural producers protect their environmentally sensitive land. Eligible landowners receive annual rental payments and cost-share assistance to establish long-term, resource conserving covers on eligible farmland throughout the duration of 10 to 15 year contracts.

CRP has a 25-year legacy of successfully protecting the nation's natural resources through voluntary participation, while providing significant economic and environmental benefits to rural communities across the United States. Under CRP, farmers and ranchers plant grasses and trees in crop fields and along streams or rivers. The plantings prevent soil and nutrients from washing into waterways, reduce soil erosion that may otherwise contribute to poor air and water quality and provide valuable habitat for wildlife.

USDA selected offers for enrollment based on an Environmental Benefits Index (EBI) comprised of five environmental factors plus cost. The five environmental factors are: (1) wildlife enhancement, (2) water quality, (3) soil erosion, (4) enduring benefits and (5) air quality.

The minimal acceptable EBI level for this sign-up was 209. The average rental rate per acre for this sign-up is $51.24.

Applicable landowners making offers during the recent signup have been notified of the status of pending offers. Based on the totals, nearly nine out of every 10 offers made the cut this time. In Bourbon County, 22 of 25 offers qualified for inclusion in the program.

Program note: The latest date to file a report of spring and summer planted crops, grassland and CRP has been moved up to July 15 this year -- a couple of weeks ahead of past years.

I have noticed that most annually planted fields in the county appear to be planted already. That means final acreage reports can be filed with our office any time now. We suggest calling ahead for an appointment, then proceeding to get your acreage reporting chore completed.

With the shortened timeframe, the final few weeks may become a bit congested. Bourbon County producers should call (620) 223-1880 to reserve a time slot.