Opportunity Knocks: CRP General Signup Window Dec 9 - Feb 28
Starting Monday, December 9th, private landowners from around the country will have the opportunity to visit their local FSA offices and apply for the Conservation Reserve Program. An important part of the federal Farm Bill, CRP is arguably the most successful private land conservation program anywhere in the world. CRP was originally written into the 1985 Farm Bill to remove highly erodible fields from production and establish what the FSA office will call Conservation Cover, which just means grass or other perennial vegetation. CRP has evolved over the years to help farmers address not only concerns about erosion, but also to improve water quality and wildlife habitat. Landowners sign up to remove a field (or part of a field) from production for 10-15 years, and in return they get an annual rental payment from the USDA, plus technical assistance and cost share to establish and manage the Conservation Cover.
An absolutely gorgeous CRP field in Defiance county is full of purple coneflower, grey-headed coneflower, wild bergamot, partridge pea, ironweed, and native grasses like big bluestem.
So here's the deal: CRP is split between General signups and Continuous signups. A General signup has not happened in years, so that is why the upcoming signup is a big deal and likely to be popular. Here is how it works. General CRP is a competitive program. Meaning that some landowners will simply not get in. The way that you increase your chances of beating out your neighbor is scale and diversity. The gal that puts up 100 acres is much more likely to be accepted into CRP than the guy who only offers 10. Likewise, if you are willing to do a diversity of different Conservation Practices, that can boost your chances.
More specifically, FSA uses the Environmental Benefits Index to rank each offer they receive. The higher the EBI score, the more likely an offer gets accepted into the program. More on this later. First let's walk through an example.
Let's say you have 1000 acres, mostly soy and corn. One 150-acre field is unproductive. That field is costing you money to farm every 4/5 years. With crop prices in the dirt and a trade war going on, you decide to go into the FSA offices and see if you can signup for CRP. At the office the FSA Program Technician rattles off a list of Conservation Practices that are options. The easy thing to do would be to signup the whole 150 in a CP1 or establishing introduced grasses. Introduced grasses are cheap and grow establish quickly so you figure it is the safest bet. With 150 acres there is a good chance you might still get in. But the way you seal the deal is to split the field up into multiple CPs. So the bulk of the field might still be in a CP1 but you also might take 5 acres and establish pollinator habitat (CP42), plant a windbreak (CP5A) along the edge of the field, and seed in native grasses (CP2) on 10 acres to improve wildlife habitat.
Environmental Benefits Index
If you are desperate to get in the program, make sure you familiarize yourself with the Environmental Benefits Index: https://www.fsa.usda.gov/Assets/USDA-FSA-Public/usdafiles/FactSheets/2019/crp_environmental_benefits_index-fact_sheet.pdf
Click the link above to figure out how to maximize your ranking. FSA will take into account six factors including, wildlife, water quality, erosion, enduring benefits, air quality, and cost to determine who gets into the program.
Common Conservation Practices (CPs)
Each of the practices below come with a set of rules, specifications, and expectations. Before you leave the office, make sure you ask about these details for each specific CP that you are interested in.
A CP33 Quail Buffer in Henry County Ohio is full of native grasses and wildflowers like sneezeweed. CP33s are strips of native vegetation 30-150' wide that can be established around any field edge but many farmers particularly like them up against forested areas where trees often compete with crops for moisture and nutrients.
Maximillian sunflowers were a smart addition to the seed mix for this CP2 native grass field in Fulton County Ohio. No doubt the goldfinches make regular visits to this CRP field in September and October to feast on the seeds.
Tips for Getting In
1. Go big: Like I said before, the bigger the acreage, the more interested the USDA will be in funding conservation on your property.
2. Highly Erodible Land (HEL): Some lands are classified as Highly Erodible. Make sure this ground is part of your bid as you will get extra points for addressing this resource concern.
3. Be friendly: Your best friends through this process are going to be the FSA program technician (PT) and whoever actually writes your plan (usually an NRCS employee or partner). Donuts go a long way, especially in high Farm Bill workload counties. At the very least, don't be an ass.
4. Ask the FSA PT or a private lands biologist to help you come up with a plan that maximizes your EBI score.
5. Ask questions: The FSA PT should know what Conservation Practices (CPs) will give you more or fewer points for the ranking. Ask if you can talk with a biologist about your wildlife goals for the property. Ask about what equipment you will need to properly establish and maintain the desired cover. The more you know about how the program works in your county, the easier it will be for you to navigate the system.
6. Be willing to do multiple practices: Pick three or four CPs and then discuss them with NRCS or a private lands biologist before you go to sign up. That last part is critical for your future success should you get into the program. Too often have landowners been permitted to sign up for practices that don't suit their ground or abilities. The most prevalent example of this in Ohio is establishing a filter strip (CP21) in periodically flooded river bottoms where a riparian buffer (CP22) would be more suitable. They almost always turn into a mess that could get them kicked out of the program. Just make sure you are not setting yourself up for failure.
7. Know the lingo: Some offices are more helpful than others. When you find yourself talking with a grumpy PT, it helps to know what you want and to be specific. I hear people all the time say they want to sign up for the "set aside ground program" and "plant some grasses". If you can walk in and say that you want to sign up for General CRP and do a CP2, CP5A, and CP23 then things will move more smoothly for you.
8. Talk to another landowner who has been through the process: Each signup is a little bit different than the last but there will certainly be commonalities.
Continuous CRP basically means that anyone who walks through the door can signup for certain CRP practices as long as they meet certain requirements (ownership > 1 year; proven cropping history, etc.). From what I have read about the latest Farm Bill, it sounds like the focus for Continuous CRP will be focused on water quality practices (filter strips, riparian buffers, windbreaks, wetlands, recharge areas). Just because water quality is the main priority does not mean that you cannot tailor your practice to benefit wildlife as well. Just let the USDA employees know that you want your filter strip or whatever to improve wildlife habitat. Almost all practices available through Continuous CRP will be for specific parts of a field. So if you have a whole field that you want to to be in the program, make sure you show up for the General signup!
If you have more specific questions, feel free to comment and I will do my best to answer you.
So here's the deal: CRP is split between General signups and Continuous signups. A General signup has not happened in years, so that is why the upcoming signup is a big deal and likely to be popular. Here is how it works. General CRP is a competitive program. Meaning that some landowners will simply not get in. The way that you increase your chances of beating out your neighbor is scale and diversity. The gal that puts up 100 acres is much more likely to be accepted into CRP than the guy who only offers 10. Likewise, if you are willing to do a diversity of different Conservation Practices, that can boost your chances.
More specifically, FSA uses the Environmental Benefits Index to rank each offer they receive. The higher the EBI score, the more likely an offer gets accepted into the program. More on this later. First let's walk through an example.
Let's say you have 1000 acres, mostly soy and corn. One 150-acre field is unproductive. That field is costing you money to farm every 4/5 years. With crop prices in the dirt and a trade war going on, you decide to go into the FSA offices and see if you can signup for CRP. At the office the FSA Program Technician rattles off a list of Conservation Practices that are options. The easy thing to do would be to signup the whole 150 in a CP1 or establishing introduced grasses. Introduced grasses are cheap and grow establish quickly so you figure it is the safest bet. With 150 acres there is a good chance you might still get in. But the way you seal the deal is to split the field up into multiple CPs. So the bulk of the field might still be in a CP1 but you also might take 5 acres and establish pollinator habitat (CP42), plant a windbreak (CP5A) along the edge of the field, and seed in native grasses (CP2) on 10 acres to improve wildlife habitat.
Environmental Benefits Index
If you are desperate to get in the program, make sure you familiarize yourself with the Environmental Benefits Index: https://www.fsa.usda.gov/Assets/USDA-FSA-Public/usdafiles/FactSheets/2019/crp_environmental_benefits_index-fact_sheet.pdf
Click the link above to figure out how to maximize your ranking. FSA will take into account six factors including, wildlife, water quality, erosion, enduring benefits, air quality, and cost to determine who gets into the program.
Common Conservation Practices (CPs)
Each of the practices below come with a set of rules, specifications, and expectations. Before you leave the office, make sure you ask about these details for each specific CP that you are interested in.
- CP1 Introduced Grasses
- CP2 Native Grasses
- CP3A Hardwood Tree planting
- CP5A Windbreak Establishment
- CP4D Wildlife Habitat
- CP21 Filter Strip
- CP22 Riparian Buffer
- CP23 Wetland
- CP25 Rare and Declining Habitat (Varies by state and county)
- CP33 Quail Buffer
- CP38 SAFE (Varies by state and county; some examples include Pheasant SAFE, Monarch SAFE, etc.)
Tips for Getting In
1. Go big: Like I said before, the bigger the acreage, the more interested the USDA will be in funding conservation on your property.
2. Highly Erodible Land (HEL): Some lands are classified as Highly Erodible. Make sure this ground is part of your bid as you will get extra points for addressing this resource concern.
3. Be friendly: Your best friends through this process are going to be the FSA program technician (PT) and whoever actually writes your plan (usually an NRCS employee or partner). Donuts go a long way, especially in high Farm Bill workload counties. At the very least, don't be an ass.
4. Ask the FSA PT or a private lands biologist to help you come up with a plan that maximizes your EBI score.
5. Ask questions: The FSA PT should know what Conservation Practices (CPs) will give you more or fewer points for the ranking. Ask if you can talk with a biologist about your wildlife goals for the property. Ask about what equipment you will need to properly establish and maintain the desired cover. The more you know about how the program works in your county, the easier it will be for you to navigate the system.
6. Be willing to do multiple practices: Pick three or four CPs and then discuss them with NRCS or a private lands biologist before you go to sign up. That last part is critical for your future success should you get into the program. Too often have landowners been permitted to sign up for practices that don't suit their ground or abilities. The most prevalent example of this in Ohio is establishing a filter strip (CP21) in periodically flooded river bottoms where a riparian buffer (CP22) would be more suitable. They almost always turn into a mess that could get them kicked out of the program. Just make sure you are not setting yourself up for failure.
7. Know the lingo: Some offices are more helpful than others. When you find yourself talking with a grumpy PT, it helps to know what you want and to be specific. I hear people all the time say they want to sign up for the "set aside ground program" and "plant some grasses". If you can walk in and say that you want to sign up for General CRP and do a CP2, CP5A, and CP23 then things will move more smoothly for you.
8. Talk to another landowner who has been through the process: Each signup is a little bit different than the last but there will certainly be commonalities.
Continuous CRP basically means that anyone who walks through the door can signup for certain CRP practices as long as they meet certain requirements (ownership > 1 year; proven cropping history, etc.). From what I have read about the latest Farm Bill, it sounds like the focus for Continuous CRP will be focused on water quality practices (filter strips, riparian buffers, windbreaks, wetlands, recharge areas). Just because water quality is the main priority does not mean that you cannot tailor your practice to benefit wildlife as well. Just let the USDA employees know that you want your filter strip or whatever to improve wildlife habitat. Almost all practices available through Continuous CRP will be for specific parts of a field. So if you have a whole field that you want to to be in the program, make sure you show up for the General signup!
If you have more specific questions, feel free to comment and I will do my best to answer you.
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