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The final rule will finalize the 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 discretion on how some of the provisions have been 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. This rule includes two new pilot programs: the Clean Lakes, Estuaries, and Rivers initiative (CLEAR 30, which has 30-year contracts) and the 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 River's (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 final rule will finalize the required changes to the eligibility criteria for enrollment in CRP, the benefits available to participants, and the compliance provisions of CRP. CRP is a Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) program administered by FSA. Some 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.  There were 63 comments submitted in response to the interim rule.  The final rule will address the issues raised in the comments with a minor change.