CRP, CREP, EQUP, WRP, and more — what are these and why should landowners care? What is the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), and who qualifies for it? In short, the CREP program is among a list of popular USDA conservation programs. Read on to learn more.
CREP is a subcategory of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). It’s offered through the Farm Service Agency (FSA) via states, tribal governments, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Landowners who choose to partner with the FSA, and who meet the requirements, can execute CREP agreements that make positive environmental impacts.
Generally, these are pre-determined habitat improvements in targeted geographic areas. Areas of intense focus include highly erodible lands, close to waterways, and other environmentally sensitive areas, such as wetlands. Subpar crop and pasture lands often qualify as well. The program’s intent is to improve soil and water quality through the use of riparian barriers.
“The program encourages farmers and landowners to enroll in long-term conservation contracts, removing environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production and implementing conservation practices,” FSA said. “Participants receive annual rental payments, cost-share assistance for establishing conservation practices, and other financial incentives.”
Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) Details
The CREP initiative is derived from federal funding. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency, CREP is “a component of the USDA Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). CREP is a public-private partnership program, allowing states, tribal governments, non-profit and private entities to partner with FSA to implement CRP practices that address high priority conservation and environmental objectives.”
“CREP is one option under CRP that farmers and ranchers may select to enhance their land,” said FSA. “Eligible producers may also enroll land in CRP through the general, continuous, or grassland signups. However, CREP may provide additional benefits not available through those signup types, such as higher incentive payments and longer contract lengths that increase the total amount of rental payments received.”
The purpose of CREP is for partners to work with the FSA to establish land-improvement relationships that implement habitat-betterment practices solving high-priority conservation and environmental problems. CREP wetlands and other conservancy farms are common participants.
CREP agreements are designed to assess geographic-specific issues. Some tailored plans include the installment of filter strips, pollinator plantings, riparian buffers, wetland improvements, and more. Common goals include controlling invasive species, enhancing air quality, enhancing water quality, establishing wildlife habitat, facilitating endangered plant and animal species, improving water savings, restoring wildlife habitat, maintaining grasslands, improving grassland productivity, promoting conservation forestry, reducing soil erosion, and more.
“This is a program for landowners to enroll land that might not be suitable for their agriculture needs,” said Brady Bradley, a Whitetail Properties Land Specialist in western Missouri. “They can put it back into a good native and wildlife habitat. It can also help stop erosion issues. It puts it back into useful landscape for wildlife with habitat value and overall enhancement of the property.” Contract periods for CREP typically span 10-15 years, specific project depending. This is a lengthy commitment, so prior advanced planning and goal assessment are crucial.
Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) Agreement Requirements
There are multiple regulations associated with the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). It’s important to know the eligibility and statutory requirements before applying to the program.
“There are specific guidelines you must meet, such as ownership guidelines,” Bradley said. “That property must have been in some type of agricultural use. Farmers and recreational landowners can benefit from this, though, especially if they have tillable ground on their property. They might not want all of their ground into tillable acres. They might not want to put it all into some type of program. But it can really benefit their farm and hold more deer, turkeys, and upland birds — whatever their choice of wildlife. Of course, there are a lot of different types of programs that they can choose from.”
To enroll, applicants must be located within designated areas of focus. If these properties meet key criteria, plans can be made to address environmental sensitivity and apply conservation solutions. Agreed-upon plans must be maintained throughout the duration of the contract period.
To be eligible, the enrolling owner must have owned the parcel for at least one year. The property must have been cropped four of the past six years. The entity or individual who owns the property must have a maximum adjusted gross income (AGI) of $900,000. Payment follows the county average soil rental rate. Annual payment is limited to $50,000 per producer. Producers can receive a 32.5% signup incentive payment (SIP) at signup. No more than 25% of total cropland within each county may be enrolled. Additional rules and regulations apply.
Annual Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) Rental Payments
The annual payments for CREP might vary. However, according to the FSA, these tend to be based on the soil productivity of the region. Average local rental rates impact this as well.
Oftentimes, in addition to the annual payment, partners can receive cost-share assistance for up to 50% of the price to create, plant, or otherwise establish the conservation practice approved according to the signed habitat project plan.
“Depending on what state you're in, those prices per acre can be very competitive to what a farmer is willing to pay for farm ground, especially for cattle,” Bradley said. “It's definitely a good option for landowners to consider if they're looking to enhance the habitat on the property.”
Generally, approved CREP projects include planting trees, native grasses, and promoting other native vegetation. Of course, reliable equipment, such as John Deere machinery and Quick Attach implements, are great for this type of work.
Project depending, additional financial assistance might apply. In approved cases, it can help provide important passive income for landowners and boost local economic production.
How Wildlife Benefits from the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)
Key wildlife species are significant beneficiaries of CRP and CREP. Deer, turkeys, upland birds, and other small game thrive in it. As a result, hunters stand to experience better hunting.
“They benefit greatly,” Bradley said. “You can take unusable acreage, or less desirable acres, and put these back into quality habitat for deer, turkey, and upland birds. I work with landowners all of the time who are looking for this. It's a way to put ground into some good habitat.”
Without question, CRP and CREP typically improves fawning cover for whitetails, nesting and brooding cover for turkeys, and shelter for other ground-dwelling species.
“Most of the properties I walk do not have fawning or nesting cover,” Bradley said. “Most landowners have a tractor and a brush hog. They have good fawning or nesting cover, don’t realize it, and mow it. They’ll see they haven't mowed it in a year or two and tear it all down.
“But this program is set to enhance that early successional vegetation growth, such as grasses, forbs, broadleaf plants, and woody sprouts,” Bradley continued. “It has great cover and structure for fawning or nesting wildlife.”
Study CREP and Similar Programs. Contact Your Local FSA Office.
CREP isn’t the only program of its kind. There are other similar programs that landowners might implement. Each of these can be excellent choices, though.
“There are a lot of conservation programs,” Bradley said. “I do a lot with state programs, which the actual state has money for. Another program includes the Conservation Reserve Program, (CRP), but that doesn't have the same conservation enhancements. There is the CSP program, which is if you've already done some work on your properties. EQUP is another big one. And the Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) is a great program, which is more of a long-term wetland project. Overall, there are quite a few for landowners to pick from. It just depends on your land and overall goals for the property.”
Those interested in applying for the CREP program, or similar services, should contact their local FSA office. After consulting, submit an official application. Find your local office here.
