Conservation Reserve Benefits

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The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) announced by (USDA,2016) agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack that more than 800,000 acres of CRP will be implemented across the United States in 2016. The Conservation Reserve Program stated by (FSA,2016) is a land conservation program administered by the Farm Service Agency FSA. Programs such as CRP are allocated across the entire United States, varying in different sectors of conservation. According to (FSA, n.d.) conservation programs like CRP influence quality of drinking water, reduce soil erosion, preserves wildlife habitat, restores and preserves, forests and wetlands, and aids in farm rehabilitation. Conservation Reserve Program generates progression using sustainable agriculture practices; the awareness, …show more content…

According to (Benefits.gov, n.d.) eligibility requirements to participate in CRP are a farmer must have owned or operated the land for at least twelve months’ prior the previous CRP sign-up period. Exemptions of the requirements are stated as followed by (Benefits.gov, n.d.) land acquired by the new owner due to the previous owner’s death, change in ownership due to foreclosure, and/or land that was purchased by the owner without the sole intentions of placing it in CRP. Although these requirements are placed on the behalf of the owner. Additional requirements are implemented on land eligibility. Stated by (“Conservation Reserve Program”, 2016) the requirements needed for the land are that the soil must be highly erodible cropland that is planted or considered planted in four of the last six crop years, and that can be planted in a normal manner. Another alternative is the land has marginal pasture that is suitable for use as a riparian buffer or for similar habitat or water quality purpose. Eligibility can be obtained with ecologically significant grasslands that contain forbs or shrubs for grazing or lastly land has farmable wetland and related …show more content…

Originally the United States implemented a plan that would adjust supply and demand by removing the amount of tillable cropland. Stated by Johnson and Clark (n.d.) by the late 1930s the newly implemented policy expanded to include conservation producers to shift from soil-depleting to soil-building crops. During this stretch World War II had started to progress causing a swing of high production to support the demand of war. After agriculture commodities surged into overdrive in the mid-1950s the United States implemented the soil bank. Considering the elevated commodity prices and overproduction of land, the idea was to deter farmers from continuing. Production once again exploded when the golden years of agriculture, enhanced in the mid-1970s. Long term land programs wouldn’t be implemented again until 1985. According to Johnson and Clark (n.d.) the Food Security Act of 1985 established the CRP. The Conservation Reserve Program transformed over several decades, especially after the re-authorization of the CRP program under the 1990 FACT

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