Ag News
CRP payments begin
Published Friday, October 03, 2008 at 05:04 AM
October 2, 2008, Manhattan, Kansas - Bill R. Fuller, State Executive Director for the Kansas Farm Service Agency today announced that Kansas FSA will begin issuing $123,334,516 in Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) payments to eligible producers in Kansas. More than $1.7 billion in CRP payments are being made on 34.7 million acres across the country. "The Conservation Reserve Program works cooperatively with America's farmers and ranchers to conserve and preserve the soil and water that we, and numerous wildlife species, depend on for survival," said Fuller. "These payments represent an investment in the nation's land that will pay dividends in the form of a cleaner environment today and for our grandchildren." The payments announced today are annual rental payments earned on the 3,124,702 acres enrolled in CRP for fiscal year 2008 in Kansas, including acres enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program and Continuous Sign-Up Program. Kansas currently has 49,874 CRP contracts on 28,431farms. The number of contracts is higher than the number of farms because producers may have multiple contracts on a single farm. Other CRP payments are made throughout the year, including a 50-percent reimbursement of expenses for establishing cover and incentive payments for enrolling eligible conservation practices, such as wetland restorations and conservation buffers. This voluntary program helps agricultural producers safeguard environmentally sensitive land. Producers enroll in CRP and plant long-term, resource-conserving covers to improve water quality, control soil erosion and enhance habitats for waterfowl and wildlife. In return, USDA provides producers with rental payments. CRP contract duration is from 10 to 15 years. Land to be enrolled must be either highly erodible, contribute to a serious water quality problem, provide important wildlife habitat or provide substantial environmental benefits if devoted to certain specific conservation uses. For more information on CRP, producers should contact the Farm Service Agency at the local USDA Service Center or visit FSA's Web site at http://www.fsa.usda.gov.
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