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May 5, 2000Continuous CRP rules announced |
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New financial incentives—totaling $350 million in the next three years—have been announced by Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman to encourage participation in the Conservation Reserve Program continuous signup. The continuous signup enhancements consist of additional economic incentives and updated rates including the following: • An up-front signing bonus of $10 per acre for every year the contract covers. This amounts to $100 to $150 per acre at the start of the contract to help defray up-front installation costs of filter strips, riparian buffers, grassed waterways, field windbreaks, shelter belts and living snow fences. • A payment equal to 40 percent of the practice installation cost, in addition to the 50 percent cost-share paid by USDA for establishing certain improved practices. • Increases in maintenance rate incentives—an added $2 to $5 per acre— for certain practices involving tree planting, fencing and others. • Updated marginal pastureland rental rates nationwide to better reflect the market value of these lands. The rule changes and incentives apply only to certain CRP continuous signup practices that generally include small acreage that provide high environmental impacts because of their impact on larger areas. Unlike the regular CRP program, the continuous signup allows producers to enroll environmentally sensitive land at any time. |