Farmers, ranchers and private landowners can begin signing up for the Grassland Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) for 2023 through May 26.

Among CRP enrollment opportunities, Grassland CRP is a unique working lands program, allowing farmers, ranchers and landowners to continue grazing and haying practices while conserving grasslands and promoting plant and animal biodiversity, as well as healthier soil.

“Grassland CRP clearly demonstrates that agricultural productivity and conservation priorities can not only coexist but also complement and enhance one another,” said Zach Ducheneaux, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) administrator. “The strength of this program lies in its many benefits. Through annual rental payments, the program helps producers and landowners produce and maintain diverse wildlife habitat, sequester carbon in the soil and support sound, sustainable grazing. These benefits help keep agricultural lands in production while delivering lasting climate outcomes.”

More than 3.1 million acres were accepted through the 2022 Grassland CRP signup from farmers, ranchers and private landowners. That signup—the highest ever for the program—reflects the continued success and value of investments in voluntary, producer-led, working lands conservation programs.

The current total participation in Grassland CRP is 6.3 million acres, which is part of the 23 million acres enrolled in CRP opportunities overall.

Since 2021, USDA’s FSA, which administers all CRP programs, has made several improvements to Grassland CRP to broaden the program’s reach, including:

  • Creating two national priority zones to put focus on environmentally sensitive land such as that prone to wind erosion.
  • Enhancing offers with 10 additional ranking points to producers and landowners who are historically underserved, including beginning farmers and military veterans.
  • Leveraging the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) to engage historically underserved communities within Tribal Nations in the Great Plains.

How to sign up for Grassland CRP
Farmers, ranchers and landowners interested in Grassland CRP, or any other CRP enrollment option, should contact their local USDA Service Center to learn more or to apply for the program before the deadlines.

Those with expiring CRP acres can enroll in the Transition Incentives Program (TIP), which incentivizes producers who sell or enter into a long-term lease with a beginning, veteran or socially disadvantaged farmer or rancher who plans to sustainably farm or ranch the land.

More information
Signed into law in 1985, CRP is one of the largest voluntary private-lands conservation programs in the United States. It was originally intended to primarily control soil erosion and potentially stabilize commodity prices by taking marginal lands out of production. The program has evolved over the years, providing many conservation and economic benefits.