Link: http://www.usda.gov/2006/06/0189.xml Ed Loyd (202) 720-4623 Jillene Johnson (202) 720-9733 USDA ANNOUNCES RESULTS OF CRP GENERAL SIGN-UP AND CONTRACT RE-ENROLLMENTS AND EXTENSIONS WASHINGTON, June 5, 2006 - Agriculture Deputy Secretary Chuck Conner today announced that USDA will accept one million acres offered under the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) general sign-up and that CRP participants intend to re-enroll and extend contracts covering 13 million acres set to expire Sept. 20, 2007. "I'm pleased to announce the selection of one million acres offered for enrollment under the Conservation Reserve Program general sign-up," said Conner. "In addition, contracts covering 13 million of the 15.5 million acres set to expire in 2007 will be re-enrolled or extended. This enrollment helps fulfill the President's commitment to strengthening our largest cooperative conservation partnership with farmers and ranchers." CRP General Sign-up Results For CRP general sign-up 33, which ran from March 27 to April 28, 2006, USDA selected 1 million acres of the 1.4 million acres offered. USDA selected the most environmentally fragile of the cropland acres offered, ranking offers based on cost and the Environmental Benefits Index (EBI) factors of soil erosion, water quality, enduring benefits, air quality and wildlife enhancement. USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA) ranked all offers on the same basis and considered offers with an EBI score of at least 242 as acceptable for enrollment. The average EBI score for all offers this sign-up was 284. FSA administers CRP on behalf of the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC). The average rental rate per acre is $53.44, and will provide annual rental payments of $54 million to participants for the 1 million acres enrolled. This additional acreage raises the total CRP acreage to 36.68 million acres. FSA received 22,990 offers for enrollment and accepted 18,140. Offers accepted under this sign-up will become effective on Oct. 1, 2006. CRP offers accepted by each state are as follows: Conservation Reserve Program General Sign-up 33 State Number Offered Number Accepted Acres Offered Acres Accepted NATIONAL 22,990 18,140 1,369,447 1,007,793 ALABAMA 251 223 9,595 8,815 ALASKA 0 0 0 0 ARKANSAS 219 198 12,114 11,301 CALIFORNIA 14 11 5,357 5,021 COLORADO 801 582 117,873 81,991 CONNECTICUT 0 0 0 0 DELAWARE 0 0 0 0 FLORIDA 31 27 1,299 1,208 GEORGIA 415 380 13,639 12,421 HAWAII 0 0 0 0 IDAHO 224 197 18,596 15,616 ILLINOIS 2,169 1,707 42,880 33,095 INDIANA 630 508 13,342 10,805 IOWA 1,891 1,590 48,742 41,102 KANSAS 2,854 2,627 220,164 201,414 KENTUCKY 284 252 7,205 6,263 LOUISIANA 72 60 5,038 4,340 MAINE 29 3 1,301 110 MARYLAND 24 17 535 267 MASSACHUSETTS 0 0 0 0 MICHIGAN 645 454 17,913 12,279 MINNESOTA 1,838 1,598 44,337 39,712 MISSISSIPPI 468 362 26,549 19,677 MISSOURI 1,111 924 51,141 42,402 MONTANA 627 285 108,544 49,327 NEBRASKA 1,427 1,207 77,577 61,363 NEVADA 0 0 0 0 NEW HAMPSHIRE * 0 * 0 NEW JERSEY 4 * 126 * NEW MEXICO 4 * 673 * NEW YORK 166 88 4,330 2,277 NORTH CAROLINA 334 303 5,733 5,213 NORTH DAKOTA 1,165 559 99,361 43,080 OHIO 743 616 15,557 12,830 OKLAHOMA 521 465 43,109 37,821 OREGON 189 117 31,286 26,124 PENNSYLVANIA 39 32 1,029 847 PUERTO RICO 0 0 0 0 RHODE ISLAND 0 0 0 0 SOUTH CAROLINA 108 85 2,409 1,643 SOUTH DAKOTA 1,003 631 75,742 46,347 TENNESSEE 249 207 6,914 6,040 TEXAS 655 394 104,491 57,929 UTAH 41 31 8,575 3,984 VERMONT 0 0 0 0 VIRGINIA 212 158 3,486 2,781 WASHINGTON 615 510 102,771 86,941 WEST VIRGINIA 5 4 166 158 WISCONSIN 905 723 19,600 14,719 WYOMING 6 * 324 * * Data withheld to avoid disclosure of individual operators. CRP Re-enrollments and Contract Extension Results In addition, CRP participants with land set to expire in 2007 intend to re-enroll or extend CRP contracts covering 13 million acres, almost 84 percent of the 15.5 million acres set to expire. In 2004, President Bush directed USDA to offer re-enrollments and extensions of CRP contracts set to expire between 2007 through 2010. FSA received more than 5,000 public comments on how to implement the President's directive. FSA contacted almost 158,000 CRP participants with contracts scheduled to expire in 2007 beginning on Jan. 31, 2006, to determine their interest in voluntarily continuing in CRP. FSA has posted tables showing state and county acreage enrollment data at: http://www.fsa.usda.gov/dafp/cepd/crp.htm. FSA used the EBI at the time of enrollment to determine eligibility for CRP re-enrollments or extensions, giving additional credit for contracts within national CRP conservation priority areas. FSA ranked individual contracts into one of five tiers based on the environmental benefits of the original EBI score. Eligible participants ranking in the first tier (between 81-100 percent) of the EBI could re-enroll their land in new 10-year contracts. Farmers and ranchers with wetlands in this top tier ranking were eligible for a 15-year contract. Eligible participants ranking in the second tier (between 61-80 percent) could extend their CRP contracts for five years. Eligible participants ranking within the third tier (between 41-60 percent) could extend their CRP contracts by four years. Eligible participants ranking in the fourth tier (between 21-40 percent) could receive three-year extensions. Eligible participants ranking in the bottom tier could extend their contracts by two years. FSA also notified almost 160,000 participants with contracts expiring between 2008 and 2010 of their opportunity to re-enroll and extend. They have until June 30, 2006, to decide. FSA will report the intentions of those contract holders later this summer. Before approving re-enrolled or extended contracts, FSA will review the contract to ensure that the required cover is maintained and there is compliance with other contract provisions. In addition, participants must be able to show that they meet eligibility requirements for the new enrollment period. In the case of re-enrollments, updated rental rates will apply. CRP is America's largest and most effective private-lands conservation program, with over 36 million acres enrolled. Under CRP, farmers and ranchers plant grasses and trees in crop fields and along streams. The plantings stop soil and nutrients from washing into regional waterways and contaminating the air. They also provide habitat for wildlife. Over its 20-year history, CRP has amassed a wealth of benefits for the United States, at an average cost of less than $49.00 per acre annually. Through April 2006, CRP has restored 2 million acres of wetlands and 2 million acres of buffers. CRP effectively reduces soil erosion by 454 million tons each year. Other CRP Initiatives Of the 39.2 million acres authorized for CRP enrollment, CCC reserves about 3 million acres for special CRP initiatives that target the most pressing environmental needs. The initiatives are: · Continuous Sign-up - protecting the most environmentally sensitive land through ongoing enrollment; · Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program - targeting defined geographic areas through federal-state-private partnerships; · Farmable Wetlands Program - protecting certain farmed and prior converted wetlands; · Bottomland Hardwood Tree Initiative - planting trees that sequester greenhouse gases; · Presidential Quail Initiative - increasing quail habitat and populations; and · Wetlands Restoration Initiative - restoring playa lakes and prairie potholes. For more information on CRP, contact your local FSA office or visit the FSA Web site at: http://www.fsa.usda.gov/dafp/cepd/default.htm. # USDA News oc.news@xxxxxxxx 202 720-4623 ---------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send email to mailto:webservices@xxxxxxxx?subject=UNSUBSCRIBE and reference your email address.
