The Continuous Conservation Reserve Program — Continuous CRP — is open. The Farm Service Agency encourages agricultural producers and landowners in Wisconsin who are interested in conservation opportunities in exchange for yearly rental payments to consider the enrollment options.
Additionally, producers participating in CRP can now apply to re-enroll, if their contracts will expire this year.
“Continuous CRP is one of the best conservation tools we can provide producers and landowners,” says Wisconsin FSA Executive Director Gene Schriefer. “Whether a producer wants to focus on water quality benefits or work with one of our partners to address a natural resource concern in their area, the program offers many options to help you meet your resource conservation goals.”
The extension to the 2018 Farm Bill through September 2024 allows authorized programs, including CRP, to continue operating.
To submit an offer, producers should contact the FSA at their local USDA Service Center by July 31 in order to have an offer effective by Oct. 1. To ensure enrollment acreages do not exceed the statutory cap,
FSA will accept offers from producers on a first-come, first-served basis and will return offers for approval in batches throughout the year.
Additionally, producers with acres enrolled in Continuous CRP set to expire Sep. 30, can now offer acres
for re-enrollment. A producer can both enroll new acres into Continuous CRP and re-enroll any acres expiring Sep. 30.
FSA water quality practices, such as riparian buffers, prairie strips, grassed waterways, and wetlands, will
get an additional 20 percent incentive. Buffer practices have a positive impact on water quality. Additionally, the Climate-Smart Practice Incentive launched in 2021 is also available in the Continuous signup.
Enrollment Options Within Continuous CRP
CREP — Working with conservation partners, CREP leverages federal and non-federal funds to target
specific state, regional, tribal, or nationally significant conservation concerns.
State Acres For Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) — The initiative restores vital habitat in order to meet high-priority state wildlife conservation goals.
Highly Erodible Lands Initiative (HELI) — Landowners can enroll in CRP to establish long-term cover on highly erodible cropland that has a weighted erodibility index greater than or equal to 20.
Farmable Wetlands Program — Landowners can enroll land in CRP to restore previously farmed wetlands and wetland buffers, improving both vegetation and water flow.
Clean Lake Estuaries and Rivers (CLEAR) Initiative and CLEAR30 — This initiative prioritizes and offers additional incentives for water quality practices on the land that, if enrolled, will help reduce sediment loadings, nutrient loadings and harmful algal blooms.
