Can My Property go into CRP?
Before answering this question, one must know the meaning of CRP (Conservation Reserve Program) and its implications when purchasing a piece of land or property that might be farmed. The United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) defines the CRP as a program that “provides technical and financial assistance to eligible farmers and ranchers to address soil, water, and related natural resource concerns on their lands in an environmentally beneficial and cost-effective manner. The program provides assistance to farmers and ranchers in complying with Federal, State, and tribal environmental laws, and encourages environmental enhancement. The program is funded through the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC). CRP is administered by the Farm Service Agency, with NRCS providing technical land eligibility determinations, conservation planning and practice implementation.
The Conservation Reserve Program reduces soil erosion, protects the Nation’s ability to produce food and fiber, reduces sedimentation in streams and lakes, improves water quality, establishes wildlife habitat, and enhances forest and wetland resources. It encourages farmers to convert highly erodible cropland or other environmentally sensitive acreage to vegetative cover, such as tame or native grasses, wildlife plantings, trees, filterstrips, or riparian buffers. Farmers receive an annual rental payment for the term of the multi-year contract. Cost sharing is provided to establish the vegetative cover practices.”1
To find out if the property you are interested in purchasing is available for the CRP program the USDA Service Centers are designed to be a single location where customers can access the services provided by the Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Rural Development agencies. The NRSC web site http://www.offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app will provide the address of a USDA Service Center and other Agency offices serving your area along with information on how to contact them.
First you pick the state, click on that state and then pick a county. Service centers in that county will appear including addresses and telephone numbers of the agency and if it has information on whether or not it is a Farm Service Agency, a Natural Resource Conservation Service, a Conservation District, or Rural Development. By contacting the agency closest to the land you are interested in, you will gain much needed information and lead you in making the decisions necessary in the direction you are pursuing.
Once you have found land that you want to farm, and you know that the state you are buying the land supports your effort, but you are a beginning farmer who might not qualify for a conventional loan your next step is to go to the United States Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency (FSA). At their web site you can click on the link to farm loan programs provided by the agency. “FSA makes direct and guaranteed farm ownership (FO) and operating loans (OL) to family-size farmers and ranchers who cannot obtain commercial credit from a bank, Farm Credit System institution, or other lender. FSA loans can be used to purchase land, livestock, equipment, feed, seed, and supplies. Our loans can also be used to construct buildings or make farm improvements. Many FSA loan application forms are on our website! We also encourage you to contact your local office or USDA Service Center to learn more about our programs and the information you will need for a complete application.”2
If you need technical assistance or information on conservation planning, the national headquarters of the NRCS is your source for information. In addition they offer financial assistance programs, an easement division, a resource conservation development and outreach division among other programs.
Hugh Hammond Bennett, is considered today to be the father of soil conservation. He led the soil conservation movement in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s, and urged the nation to address the “national menace” of soil erosion, and created a new federal agency and served as its first chief - the Soil Conservation Service, now the Natural Resources Conservation Service in the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The following principles are NRCS’s heritage and still guide its work:
- Assess the resources on the land, the conservation problems and opportunities.
- Draw on various sciences and disciplines and integrate all their contributions into a plan for the whole property.
- Work closely with land users so that the plans for conservation mesh with their objectives.
- Through implementing conservation on individual properties, contribute to the overall quality of the life in the watershed or region.
If you ask the question “Can my property go into CRP?” then you are ready to begin the necessary research which will prepare you for your land purchase. Only then will you be able to answer all the questions and make the right choices.
- United States Department of Agriculture Conservation Reserve Program: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/CRP/
- United States Department of Agriculture Farm Services Agency: http://www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/webapp?area=home&subject=landing&topic=landing
CRP properties for sale at LandSaleListings
I appreciate for the step taken by the US Agriculture department. I will definitely try to see all the options listed in the post, when buying a land of my own. Thanks for sharing your information with us.
Comment by graham — October 23, 2009 @ 6:43 am