More than 800,000 acres of farmland were enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program in the latest sign-up period, according to USDA. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the enrollment figure Thursday from the program’s 49th sign-up period. The program pays farmers to idle marginally productive land to enhance conservation efforts. USDA says the CRP program provides nearly $2 billion annually to landowners. Vilsack says over the past 30 years, “CRP has created major environmental improvements throughout the countryside.” The most recent sign-up period was one of the most selective, according to USDA.
As of March 2016, 23.8 million acres were enrolled in CRP, with 1.7 million acres set to expire this fall.
Source: NAFB News Service