The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania recently finalized changes to the provisions of the Ohio River Basin Conservation Reserve Enhancement Programs (CREP) administered by the Farm Service Agency.  The project revisions adjust total project acreage ceilings in the Ohio River counties to 40,000 acres.

"These revisions will provide flexibility for Pennsylvania farmers and other land owners to establish conservation cover and increase land stewardship within the Ohio River Basin," said FSA Deputy Administrator for Farm Programs Juan Garcia. "The Pennsylvania CREP programs encourage establishment of conservation buffers and related practices to improve water quality and enhance conservation cover and wildlife habitat."

USDA implemented the federal-state-private partnership in 2000 and now targets 40,000 acres in the Ohio River Basin. CREP is another option under FSA's Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) that agricultural producers may use to voluntarily establish conservation practices on their land. Producers can enroll in CREP at any time.

To encourage enrollment into these environmentally sensitive resource areas, per-acre annual rental payments are at a higher effective rate than offered under a general CRP sign-up.

"Farmers and landowners from the 16 Pennsylvania counties in the Ohio River Basin who are interested in enrolling land into CREP should call or visit their local FSA county office," said FSA Pennsylvania State Executive Director Bill Wehry.

Pennsylvania farmers and landowners are encouraged to voluntarily convert eligible cropland and marginal pastureland to native grasses, legumes, forbs, shrubs and trees under 10-15 year CRP contracts. In return, they receive annual rental payments, cost share and other incentives.

The Pennsylvania CREP objectives are to improve water quality, reduce erosion and restore and enhance grassland habitats for wildlife. Reductions in nutrient loadings from environmentally sensitive land achieved through this enrollment are intended to help improve water quality in the Ohio River Basin.

To be eligible for CREP, cropland must meet CRP's cropping history criteria, which includes cropping history provisions, one-year ownership requirement, and physical and legal cropping requirements. Marginal pastureland is also eligible for enrollment provided it is suitable for use as a needed and eligible riparian buffer.

Producers who have an existing CRP contract are not eligible for CREP until that contract expires. Producers with expiring CRP contracts who are interested in CREP should submit offers for re-enrolling their land into CREP during the last year of their existing CRP contract.

For more information, with the PA CREP webpage.

6/4/2012