Bonham, TX, Oct. 3, 2008 – Amy Bailey, County Executive Director for USDA’s Farm Service Agency today announced that starting today USDA will begin issuing $139,882,022 in Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) payments to eligible producers in Texas. More than $1.7 billion in CRP payments are being made on 34.7 million acres across the country.
“The Conservation Reserve Program works cooperatively with America’s farmers and ranchers to conserve and preserve the soil and water that we, and numerous wildlife species, depend on for survival,” said Bailey. “These payments represent an investment in the nation’s land that will pay dividends in the form of a cleaner environment today and for our grandchildren.”
The payments announced today are annual rental payments earned on the 3.9 million acres enrolled in CRP for fiscal year 2008 in Texas, including acres enrolled in the Continuous Sign-Up Program. Texas currently has 24,974 CRP contracts on 18,132 farms. The number of contracts is higher than the number of farms because producers may have multiple contracts on a single farm.
Other CRP payments are made throughout the year, including a 50-percent reimbursement of expenses for establishing cover and incentive payments for enrolling eligible conservation practices, such as wetland restorations and conservation buffers.
This voluntary program helps agricultural producers safeguard environmentally sensitive land. Producers enroll in CRP and plant long-term, resource-conserving covers to improve water quality, control soil erosion and enhance habitats for waterfowl and wildlife. In return, USDA provides producers with rental payments. CRP contract duration is from 10 to 15 years.
Land to be enrolled must be either highly erodible, contribute to a serious water quality problem, provide important wildlife habitat or provide substantial environmental benefits if devoted to certain specific conservation uses.
For more information on CRP, producers should contact they Fannin County Farm Service Agency (FSA) office at 903-583-9513 or visit FSA’s Web site at http://www.fsa.usda.gov.
