View Rule

The interim rule will make mandatory changes for consistency with the provisions in the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill).  The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) assists producers in conserving and improving soil, water, and wildlife resources by converting highly erodible and other environmentally sensitive acreage to a long-term vegetative cover. The core scope of CRP is not changing. In general, the regulatory changes are mandatory; however, there is some discretion on how some of the provisions are being implemented. The 2018 Farm Bill extends and modifies the authorization for CRP through fiscal year (FY) 2023. The CRP acreage cap is increased from 24 million acres to 27 million acres by FY 2023, and includes 8.6 million acres for continuous practices and 2 million acres for grasslands. Two new pilot programs are: the Clean Lakes, Estuaries, and Rivers initiative (CLEAR 30, which has 30-year contracts) and a Soil Health and Income Protection Program (SHIPP). The Farm Service Agency (FSA) expects to target at least 40 percent of continuous CRP acres for the practices considered as Clean Lakes, Estuaries, and Rivers (CLEAR). A proportional, historic State acreage allocation includes a portion of the acres available for enrollment. The 2018 Farm Bill authorizes up to $12 million in incentive payments for tree thinning and related activities and provides additional haying and grazing flexibilities. The rule will make required changes to the eligibility criteria for enrollment in CRP, the benefits available to participants, and the compliance provisions of CRP. A couple of examples of the discretionary regulatory changes are:  how regional drought concerns are addressed on the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) agreements, and the specific length of SHIPP contracts. CRP is a Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) program administered by FSA.