Tuesday, February 25, 1997

CRP signups will begin on March 3 in every county

By J.T. SMITH / Farm Editor

USDA has announced its final rules for the Conservation Reserve Program.

The program will be expanded under the existing Federal Agricultural Improvement and Reform Act from the current 32.9 million acres to 36.4 million idled acres.

CRP signup is March 3-28 at local USDA Farm Service Agency offices.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman says the emphasis of the CRP program has been changed.

"This is not going to be a supply management program," Glickman assures.

Glickman called the CRP "the most profound conservation program in the history of America."

The three primary goals of the CRP program now will be erosion reduction, improving water quality, and enhancing wildlife habitat.

To do this, USDA will target only the most environmentally sensitive land for inclusion in the CRP.

The Prairie Pothole Region in the Northern Plains was added as an area of national conservation priority.

The Agriculture Department expects that CRP enrollment may drop by about 500,000 acres in the Southern Plains and rise by about 2 million acres in the Northern Plains.

Some 22 million acres of set to come out of the program on Sept. 30, 1997.

Some 24 million acres possible in '97 signup

USDA has the authority to enroll about 24 million acres this year, says Tim Hall, executive director of the Taylor County Farm Service office, Abilene.

In this March signup period, USDA hopes to enroll about 19 million acres of that across the United States.

"But there are no guarantees," Hall says.

Various bids must be considered as will land erodibility and environmental factors.

-- Signup is by appointment.

-- Soil rental compensation depends on the soil type and a host of other factors.

-- A ranking factor for the entire nation determines enrollment following the landowners' bids.

-- Cost-share assistance for a cover could be at about a 50 percent rate for successful bids.

-- Non-CRP cropland as well as CRP contacts that expire this year will be eligible for bids.

-- It could be two, three, or even four months following the bid before award announcements.

Other details

Many other details will be explained at a CRP Meeting starting at 9:30 a.m. March 3 in the Clarion Hotel in Abilene.

The hotel was formerly the Kiva Inn (just east of Sam's Wholesale).

Everyone with an interest in the CRP will want to attend this meeting - especially those with CRP contracts that are expiring this year.

Those who have never had land in the CRP, but are considering bidding in some land, also will want to attend this very important meeting.

An applicant must have owned or operated the land for at least 12 months prior to the close of the signup period unless:

-- The new owner acquired the land as a result of the death of the previous owner.

-- The only ownership change occurred due to foreclosure where the owner exercised a timely right or redemption per state law.

n Circumstances of the acquisition present adequate assurance to the USDA Commodity Credit Corporation that the new owner did not acquire the land for the purpose of placing it in the CRP.