USDA Adds 3.9 Million Acres to Conservation Program

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will accept 3.9 million acres offered under the 43rd Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) general sign-up. During the five-week sign-up period, the department received nearly 48,000 offers from landowners to become a part of the 25-year-old program designed to conserve land, improve soil, water, and air quality, and create wildlife habitats. “Lands in CRP have helped to support strong incomes for our farmers and ranchers and produce good middle-class jobs throughout the country related to outdoor recreation, hunting and fishing,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. USDA has enrolled 12 million acres in CRP since 2009 and has a total of 29.6 million acres in the entire program. Learn more.