General sign-up for federal conservation program under way

By MATTHEW WEAVER

Capital Press

Farmers interested in signing up for the Conservation Reserve Program will want to call into their county Farm Service Agency office to schedule appointments, FSA officials said.

The general sign-up for the voluntary program will run through Aug. 27.

Under CRP, participants enter into long-term contracts to remove environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production. They receive annual rental payments and a payment of up to 50 percent of the cost of conservation efforts.

Currently 31 million acres are enrolled in CRP and related programs, FSA Communications Services Section Chief Kent Politsch said.

Approximately 4.5 million acres are expected to come out of CRP by Sept. 30, and USDA officials expect to enroll as much land as it will take to reach the 32 million-acre statutory cap established by the 2008 Farm Bill, Politsch said.

Land that is easily eroded or has more environmental benefits will be considered first, he said.

The signup is expected to be limited, said Rod Hamilton, farm program chief for the Spokane office of the USDA Farm Service Agency, who advised farmers to contact county offices to schedule appointments.

"If we have a lot of interest, it will be important to get an appointment," he said.

He also advised farmers to consider which land they want to enroll.

One potential way to make an offer more competitive, Hamilton said, is to consider the type of cover for the land, with native and more diverse covers scoring higher.

No decision has been made to deal with acreage expiring in the program in future years, said Jim Miller, USDA under secretary of farm and foreign agriculture services, during an Aug. 26 press conference.

"It is an issue we will certainly be taking a hard look at as we move forward," Miller said. "Right now we're focused on ensuring producers have an opportunity to enroll this general signup and receive fair consideration in terms of their enrollment offers."

Farmers with land expiring in the program this fall are on the same level as farmers who do not, Miller said.

The number of CRP acres set to expire in the fall may impact counties that have already reached a 25 percent limit on acreage, Miller said.

Contracts would be considered up to the cap level, but Miller said the department plans to enforce the limitation on a county-by-county basis.

If farmers go through the process and are rejected during this signup, they are still able to enroll in future CRP signups or participate in the continuous signup program or future conservation enhancement programs, he said.

Online:

www.fsa.usda.gov/crp