CRP Sign-ups In Texas County To Begin

Mike Griffin, executive director for the Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Texas County, announced that a four-week Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) general signup will begin on March 12 and will end on April 6. During the sign-up period, farmers and ranchers interested in offering land under the competitive general sign-up should contact the Texas County FSA office to make an appointment.
“For 25 years, CRP has generated significant environmental improvements,” said Griffin. “Sound conservation practices encouraged through CRP enrollment preserve the soil, clean our water and restore habitat for wildlife. I encourage all interested farmers and ranchers to contact the county FSA office to learn more about this opportunity.”
CRP is a voluntary program that assists farmers, ranchers and other agricultural producers to use their environmentally sensitive land for conservation benefits. Producers enrolling in CRP plant long-term, elected vegetative covers in exchange for rental payments, cost-share, and technical assistance. Participants voluntarily remove environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production by entering into long-term contracts for 10 to 15 years.
Cropland currently not enrolled in CRP and previously expired CRP contract acres may be offered in this sign-up provided all eligibility requirements are met. Additionally, current CRP participants with contracts expiring this fall may make new contract offers. Contracts awarded under this sign-up are scheduled to become effective Oct. 1, 2012.
FSA will evaluate and rank eligible CRP offers using an Environmental Benefits Index (EBI) for environmental benefits to be gained from enrolling the land in CRP. The EBI consists of five environmental factors (wildlife, water, soil, air and enduring benefits) and cost. Decisions on the EBI cutoff will be made after the sign-up ends April 6 and after analyzing the EBI data of all the offers.
In addition to general sign-up, CRP’s continuous sign-up program will be ongoing. Continuous acres represent the most environmentally desirable and sensitive land.
For more information on the conservation reserve program, please visit the Texas County FSA office or visit online at www.fsa.usda.gov/ok.