Prospective Participants

If you are looking to enroll in CRP, here is what you need to know:

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To access the USDA Informational CRP video, ‘Silver Lining’ please click this link.

How do I enroll?

Participants can enroll in CRP in two ways. The first is through a competitive process known as CRP General Sign-up. General CRP sign-ups are announced on a periodic basis by the Secretary of Agriculture; they do not occur according to any fixed schedule. The second way to enroll is through CRP Continuous Sign-up which offers on a continuous basis. All enrollment offers are processed through your local FSA office.

Eligibility

Am I eligible?

To be eligible for CRP enrollment, a farmer must have owned or operated the land for at least 12 months prior the previous CRP sign-up period. Exceptions to this rule include:

Land acquired by the new owner due to the previous owner's death;
Change in ownership due to foreclosure; or
Land that was purchased by the new owner without the sole intention of placing it in CRP.

Land Eligibility

To be eligible for placement in CRP, land must be either: Cropland (including field margins) that is planted to an agricultural commodity 4 of the previous 6 crop years from 2008 to 2013, and which is physically and legally capable of being planted in a normal manner to an agricultural commodity; or Certain marginal pastureland that is suitable for use as a riparian buffer or for similar water quality purposes.

The land must be eligible and suitable for any of the following conservation practices:

Buffers for Wildlife Habitat

Wetlands Buffer

Riparian Buffer

Wetland Restoration

Filter Strips

Grass Waterways

Shelter Belts

Living Snow Fences

Contour Grass Strips

Salt Tolerant Vegetation

Shallow water areas for Wildlife

CRP Practice Library

CP-1 - Introduced Grass and Legume Establishment
CP-2 - Native Grass, Forb, and Legume Establishment
CP-3 - Softwood tree planting (Does not include Longleaf Pine)
CP-3A - Hardwood Tree Planting
CP-4D - Permanent Wildlife Habitat
CP-5 - Field Windbreak Establishment
CP-6 - Diversion
CP-8 - Grass Waterway
CP-9 - Shallow Water Areas for Wildlife
CP-12 - Wildlife Food Plot
CP-15 - Grass Contour Strip
CP-16 - Shelterbelt Establishment
CP-17 - Living Snow Fence
CP-18 - Salinity Reducing Vegetation Establishment
CP-21 - Grass Filter Strips
CP-22 - Riparian Buffers
CP-23 - Wetland Restoration (Floodplain)
CP-23A - Non-Floodplain Wetland Restoration
CP-24 - Cross Wind Trap Strip
CP-25 - Rare and Declining Habitat
CP-26 - Sediment Retention
CP-27 - Farmable Wetland - Wetland
CP-28 - Farmable Wetland - Buffer
CP-29 - Wildlife Habitat Buffer (Marginal Pasture)
CP-30 - Wetland Buffer (Marginal Pasture)
CP-31 - Bottomland Hardwood Tree Establishment
CP-32 - Hardwood Trees (Previously Expired)
CP-33 - Upland Bird Habitat Buffer
CP-34 - Flood Control Structure
CP-36 - Longleaf Pine Establishment
CP-37 - Duck Nesting Habitat
CP-38 - State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement
CP-39 - Farmable Wetland Program - Constructed Wetland
CP-40 - Farmable Wetland Program - Aquaculture Wetland
CP-41 - Farmable Wetland Program - Flooded Prairie Wetland
CP-42 - Pollinator Habitat Establishment

Contracts

CRP-1 is the contract that is signed between FSA and the participant. The CRP-1 period for CRP is 10-15 years. A participant is an owner or an operator who is enrolled in CRP.

Operator: An operator is an individual, entity, or joint operation who is determined by
COC as being in general control of the farming operations on the farm for the current year.

Owner: An owner is an individual or entity who has legal ownership of farmland.

For Continuous contracts, the effective date of CRP-1 is the first day of the month following the month COC (County committee) approves CRP-1. General CRP contracts start on October 1st. CRP-1 expires on September 30th of the final year of the contract.

Example: An owner/operator signs CRP-1 on August 17, 2007. COC approves CRP-1 on September 27, 2007. The effective date of the CRP contract is October 1, 2007. The contract period is October 1, 2007, through *--September 30, 2017.--*

Contract Revisions

Revise CRP-1’s only for the following reasons:

Change of participants
Change in owner/operator shares
Part of the land under CRP-1 is terminated by the owner/operator
Land under CRP-1 is withdrawn from cropland status
Land under CRP-1 is sold to another owner/operator
Loss of control of land
Acreage changes because of planimetering new aerial photography

Voluntary Withdrawal by Operator or Tenant from CRP-1

CRP-1 acreage over which an operator or tenant voluntarily relinquishes the right to CRP-1 benefits may be continued by the owner or other eligible participant becoming a successor in interest.

The participant acquiring an interest in CRP-1:

May share in payments made according to division of shares on CRP-1
Shall be responsible for complying with CRP-1 provisions
Shall be liable for payment reductions for noncompliance after becoming a party to CRP-1.

Policy for Terminating All Land under CRP-1

COC shall terminate all land under CRP-1 before its expiration date, if any of the following are met:

Participant loses control of or transfers all of the land under CRP-1 and there is no successor in interest
All signatories voluntarily request, in writing, to terminate all land under CRP-1
Participants’ request for termination of part of the land under CRP-1 was disapproved and participants proceed to violate the terms and conditions of CRP-1 on that land

Termination Request

CRP participants may request early termination of all or any part of the eligible acreage under contract by completing CRP-41. There is no specific signup for early termination. COC or designee shall approve all eligible requests upon notification of eligibility by NRCS. The contract termination shall become effective 60 calendar days from the date all participants sign CRP-41, if approved by COC. Contract acres must remain in compliance with the terms and conditions of CRP-1 until the effective contract termination date.

Eligible Person Acquiring Interest in CRP Land

An eligible person may become successor in interest to CRP-1 if:

Land has been sold
There has been a change in owner or operator
A foreclosure or involuntary loss of land occurs.

Eligible Succession

Before approving CRP-1 revisions, COC shall ensure that the successor in interest:

Understands that any outstanding adjustments because of violations by the previous participant will be the successor’s responsibility
Has 1 of the following:
- a valid deed to the land under CRP-1
- a contract-for-deed with the seller that has been properly filed under applicable State law
- a final journal entry of a probate court showing change of ownership, if RA (Regional Attorney) concurs
- acquired right of occupancy, through foreclosure proceedings, to the land under CRP-1

Payments

Cost-Share Payments

FSA will pay up to 50 percent of the eligible cost of establishing a CRP Practice. CRP cost share shall be paid only to participants who are a signatory to CRP-1 and have established the conservation practice. Cost share assistance shall not exceed 50 percent of the eligible costs of establishing the approved practice. Participants may receive cost share assistance from non-Federal sources; however, under no circumstances may the total cost share amount received exceed 100 percent of the cost of the practice.

Signing Incentive Payment (SIP)

SIP is a one-time incentive payment of $10/acre for each eligible acre enrolled for each full year of the contract (CRP-1) made to the participants (after all eligibility determinations have been made) who enroll in the following continuous signup practices:

CP5A-Field Windbreaks,
CP8A-Grassed Waterways,
CP16A-Shelterbelts,
CP17A-Living Snow Fences,
CP21-Filter Strips,
CP22-Riparian Buffer,
CP23-Wetland Restoration,
CP23A-Wetland Restoration Non-Floodplain,
CP27-Farmable Wetland,
CP28-Farmable Wetland Buffer,
CP29-Marginal Pastureland Wildlife Buffer,
CP30-Marginal Pastureland Wetland Buffer,
CP31-Bottomland Timber Establishment,
CP33-Field Borders,
CP36-Longleaf Pine Establishment
CP37-Duck Nesting Habitat
CP38A-SAFE-Buffers
CP38B-SAFE-Wetlands
CP38C-SAFE-Trees
CP38D-SAFE-Longleaf Pine
CP38E-SAFE-Grass
CP39-FWP Constructed Wetland
CP40-FWP Aquaculture Wetland Restoration
CP41-FWP Flooded Prairie Wetlands
CP42 (Continuous Signup)-Pollinator Habitat

Performance Incentive Payment (PIP)

PIP is a one-time incentive payment made to participants who enroll land in CRP to be devoted to all continuous signup practices except:

CP15B-Establishment of Permanent Vegetative Cover, on Terraces,
CP23-Wetland Restoration,
CP23A-WetlandRestoration Non-Floodplain,
CP31-Bottomland Timber Establishment,
CP37-Duck Nesting Habitat

It is equal to 40 percent of the eligible installation costs for eligible participants.

Payment Guidelines

The maximum annual non-cost share payment that an eligible “person” can receive under CRP is $50,000 per fiscal year. This is a separate payment limitation applying only to CRP non-cost share payments.

Participants Exceeding the Maximum Payment Limitation

If the applicable payments (annual rental payment, CRP-SIP, PIP) will cause the maximum payment limitation to be exceeded, the applicable payments shall be reduced by the applicable amount.

SIP and PIP are one-time payments. If the participant’s SIP and PIP will result in the participant exceeding the $50,000 Fiscal Year annual payment limitation, then the following occurs:

COC shall reduce the applicable payment
The amount exceeding the payment limitation shall never be paid

Example:

An owner/operator enrolls 1,233.3 acres as practice CP1. The annual rental rate is $49.50 per acre.

The calculated annual rental payment is 1,233.3 ac. x $49.50/ac. = $61,048.35. Because of the $50,000 payment limitation, the participants' annual rental payment will be capped at $50,000 and the participant will not receive the $11,048 above that amount.

Payment Example

An owner/operator enrolls 3 acres of eligible wetlands and 9 acres of eligible buffer into CRP under FWP. The weighted average SRR (Soil Rental Rate) for the 3 predominant soils is $50 per acre. The owner/operator’s CRP-1 is for 14 years 2 months. The total eligible cost for the practice installation is $2,000.

The participant is eligible to receive the following payments:

Annual rental payment:

*--$50 per acre + (20 percent incentive times $50 per acre) + $2 (maintenance rate) = $62 per acre. Total annual rental payment = $744 per year ($62 times 12 acres).--*

SIP:

$10 multiplied times 12 acres multiplied times 10 years = $1,200.

PIP:

Total eligible cost for installing the practice is $2,000. Producer received $1,000 ($2,000 multiplied times 50 percent) in cost-share. $1000 is listed on AD-862, item H 2. PIP is calculated by multiplying AD-862, item H 2, times 80 percent. PIP is $800.

Rental Payments

FSA bases rental rates on the relative productivity of the soils within each county and the average dryland cash rent or cash rent equivalent. The maximum CRP rental rate for each offer is calculated in advance of enrollment. Producers may offer land at that rate or offer a lower rental rate to increase the likelihood that their offer will be accepted. The per-acre annual rental rate may not exceed FSA’s maximum payment amount and is calculated in advance of enrollment. While continuous sign-up acceptance is not determined by a competitive offer process, participants may elect to receive an amount less than the maximum payment rate.

Maintenance Incentive Payment

CRP annual rental payments may include an additional amount up to $2 per acre per year (for certain continuous signup practices, up to $7) as an incentive to perform certain maintenance obligations.

Prospective Participants/General Public