USDA announces continuous CRP sign-up with extension
June 05, 2014 | 06:03 PM
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Wednesday that USDA will begin a continuous sign-up for the Conservation Reserve Program beginning Monday, but that farmers who have contracts expiring in September can get a one-year extension.
Vilsack also announced that retiring farmers enrolled in CRP could receive incentives to transfer a portion of their land to beginning, disadvantaged or veteran farmers through the Transition Incentives Program (TIP).
“The average age of farmers and ranchers in the United States is 58 years, and twice as many are 65 or older compared to those 45 or younger,” Vilsack said.
“The cost of buying land is one of the biggest barriers to many interested in getting started in agriculture. The Transition Incentives Program is very useful as we work to help new farmers and ranchers get started,” he said.
USDA said, “Under continuous sign-up authority, eligible land can be enrolled in CRP at any time with contracts of up to 10 to 15 years in duration. In lieu of a general sign-up this year, USDA will allow producers with general CRP contracts expiring this September to have the option of a one-year contract extension.”
“USDA will also implement the 2014 farm bill's requirement that producers enrolled through general sign-up for more than five years can exercise the option to opt-out of the program if certain other conditions are met,” the USDA said. “In addition, the new grassland provisions, which will allow producers to graze their enrolled land, will enable producers to do so with more flexibility.”
The Transition Incentives Program provides two additional years of payments for retired farmers and ranchers who transition expiring CRP acres to socially disadvantaged, military veteran, or beginning producers who return the land to sustainable grazing or crop production. TIP sign-up will also begin June 9.
TIP funding was increased by more than 30 percent in the 2014 farm bill, providing up to $33 million through 2018.
Both the CRP and TIP were reauthorized by the 2014 farm bill.
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition praised the restart of the CRP continuous sign-up, and said it is urging the Farm Service Agency to adopt a goal of a minimum of 500,000 new conservation buffer acres each year for the next five years through all of the continuous sign-up options available.
NSAC also said USDA should encourage landowners with contracts that will expire in coming years to enroll land in the continuous sign-up options even as they return major parts of the farm to production, and should inform farmers that they can transition land from the CRP to long-term contracts under the Conservation Stewardship Program, to help maximize conservation values as land is put back into production.
NSAC also said it expects a high degree of interest in the TIP program, which has been dormant for two years while the farm bill was under consideration in Congress.
Vilsack also announced that retiring farmers enrolled in CRP could receive incentives to transfer a portion of their land to beginning, disadvantaged or veteran farmers through the Transition Incentives Program (TIP).
“The average age of farmers and ranchers in the United States is 58 years, and twice as many are 65 or older compared to those 45 or younger,” Vilsack said.
“The cost of buying land is one of the biggest barriers to many interested in getting started in agriculture. The Transition Incentives Program is very useful as we work to help new farmers and ranchers get started,” he said.
USDA said, “Under continuous sign-up authority, eligible land can be enrolled in CRP at any time with contracts of up to 10 to 15 years in duration. In lieu of a general sign-up this year, USDA will allow producers with general CRP contracts expiring this September to have the option of a one-year contract extension.”
“USDA will also implement the 2014 farm bill's requirement that producers enrolled through general sign-up for more than five years can exercise the option to opt-out of the program if certain other conditions are met,” the USDA said. “In addition, the new grassland provisions, which will allow producers to graze their enrolled land, will enable producers to do so with more flexibility.”
The Transition Incentives Program provides two additional years of payments for retired farmers and ranchers who transition expiring CRP acres to socially disadvantaged, military veteran, or beginning producers who return the land to sustainable grazing or crop production. TIP sign-up will also begin June 9.
TIP funding was increased by more than 30 percent in the 2014 farm bill, providing up to $33 million through 2018.
Both the CRP and TIP were reauthorized by the 2014 farm bill.
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition praised the restart of the CRP continuous sign-up, and said it is urging the Farm Service Agency to adopt a goal of a minimum of 500,000 new conservation buffer acres each year for the next five years through all of the continuous sign-up options available.
NSAC also said USDA should encourage landowners with contracts that will expire in coming years to enroll land in the continuous sign-up options even as they return major parts of the farm to production, and should inform farmers that they can transition land from the CRP to long-term contracts under the Conservation Stewardship Program, to help maximize conservation values as land is put back into production.
NSAC also said it expects a high degree of interest in the TIP program, which has been dormant for two years while the farm bill was under consideration in Congress.
