Agricultural News
Oklahoma Landowners Get 225,000 Acres Into CRP in Latest Signup
Tue, 14 Sep 2010 22:41:21 CDT
Francie Tolle, executive director for Oklahoma Farm Service Agency (FSA), announced today that USDA will accept over 225,000 acres offered by landowners under the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) general sign-up.
"I am pleased that Oklahoma's producers and landowners continue to realize the benefits of enrolling in this program which is critically important to preserving the land for future generations," said Tolle.
Oklahoma currently has 861,000 acres under contract in the CRP with 211,000 acres set to expire on September 30, 2010. Tolle noted, “With the acceptance of the 225,000 plus acres Oklahoma will be able to maintain the environmental benefits we have built in past years under the CRP.”
For this 39th general sign-up Oklahoma received more than 2,000 offers on 254,000 acres with 1,885 of those offers being accepted. Nationally, more than 50,000 offers were received on more than 4.8 million acres. Enrollment of the 4.3 million acres will keep the program enrollment close to the 32 million acre statutory cap, which will maintain and enhance the significant environmental benefits the program has already achieved.
USDA selected offers for enrollment based on an Environmental Benefits Index (EBI) comprised of five environmental factors plus cost. The five environmental factors are: (1) wildlife enhancement, (2) water quality, (3) soil erosion, (4) enduring benefits, and (5) air quality. The minimal acceptable EBI level for this signup is 200. Oklahoma's EBI was very strong, rated as the sixth highest EBI in the country for this signup at 304.
CRP is a voluntary program that assists farmers, ranchers and other agricultural producers to use their environmentally sensitive land for conservation benefits. Producers enrolling in CRP plant long-term, elected vegetative covers in exchange for rental payments, cost-share, and technical assistance. Participants voluntarily remove the land from agricultural production by entering into long-term contracts for 10 to 15 years. In Oklahoma, the average rental rate per acre for this signup is about $34. The Oklahoma figure is well under the national average per acre rate of $46.
CRP’s 39th signup will bring the total enrollment in the program to 31.2 million acres, leaving sufficient room under the 32 million acre cap to continue enrollment in the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, continuous signup and other CRP initiatives through FY 2011. Landowners are encouraged to visit their local county FSA office to learn more about the conservation reserve program.
Click here for the state by state breakdown of acres offered and those accepted.
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