The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) could be in focus again. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said this week that he thinks greater opportunities are coming for landowners to take less productive farmland out of production and place into CRP.
Vilsack’s comments came Thursday during an interview on Illinois Public Radio. He said USDA has been reevaluating the program since early February, as the Biden administration is exploring ways to stop what’s been a 13-year decline in CRP enrollment.
Vilsack pointed out that CRP can be a valuable conservation tool, as the administration works to achieve a first for agriculture in making American agriculture the first in the world to accomplish net-zero emissions of greenhouse gases.
A political insider told Farm Journal that President Biden’s 30 x 30 plan will impact CRP, something Vilsack also hinted at during his interview this week.
“The President has committed to a 30 x 30 effort: 30% of our working lands and public lands being dedicated in some form or fashion to conservation [by 2030],” said Vislack. “I think that also plays to the strength of CRP. I think it’ll play a particularly important role in that.”
By the Numbers
According to Farm Journal Washington Correspondent Jim Wiesemeyer, there are currently 20.8 million acres enrolled in CRP, with 3 million acres set to expire in September 2021.
