LEXINGTON, Ky. – Farmers and landowners in Kentucky can apply for enrollment in the Grassland Conservation Reserve program from today until August 20. This year, the US Department of Agriculture updated registration options to provide greater incentives for growers and increased the conservation and climate of the program. advantages, including setting a minimum rental rate and identifying two national priority areas.

Membership in the Grassland CRP is competitive and the USDA Farm Service Agency will pay annual rents for land dedicated for conservation purposes.

“The USDA is excited to roll out our new enhanced listing at CRP Grasslands,” said Debbie Wakefield, interim state executive director for the FSA in Kentucky. “The USDA offers a greater return on investment in terms of protecting the benefits of natural resources. Grasslands registration is just one of many tools available through the CRP to help protect our nation’s working lands.

Grassland registration

The CRP Grasslands helps Kentucky landowners and farmers protect grasslands, including rangelands, pastures, and some other land, while maintaining the areas as grazing land. Grassland protection contributes positively to the economy of many regions, ensures the biodiversity of plant and animal populations and offers significant carbon sequestration benefits.

The FSA updated the Grasslands Signup to set a minimum rental rate of $ 15 per acre, which will benefit 1,300 counties.

To focus on important wildlife corridors, the FSA has also identified national priority areas for grasslands, providing additional incentives to producers for listing grasslands in important migratory corridors and environmentally sensitive areas – the migration corridor. Great Yellowstone Elk and severe wind erosion – Dust Bowl area. Counties in these two areas get additional ranking points as well as $ 5 added to their rental rate. The CRP Grassland Ranking Factors fact sheet contains additional information.

How to register

To register for CRP Grasslands registration, growers and landowners should contact USDA by the August 20 deadline. Service Center staff continue to work with agricultural producers by phone, email and other digital tools. Due to the pandemic, some USDA service centers are open to a limited number of visitors. Contact your service center to schedule an appointment in person or by phone. Additionally, more information on the USDA response and help for producers can be found at farms.gov/coronavirus.

More information on the CRP

Promulgated in 1985, the CRP is one of the largest voluntary private land conservation programs in the United States. It was originally intended primarily to control soil erosion and potentially stabilize commodity prices by removing marginal land from production. The program has evolved over the years, offering many economic and conservation benefits. The program celebrated its 35th anniversary last December.

Under the Biden-Harris administration, the USDA is engaged in a whole-of-government effort to address the climate crisis and conserve and protect our nation’s land, biodiversity, and natural resources, including our soil, air and water. . Through conservation practices, USDA aims to improve economic growth and create new income streams for farmers, ranchers, producers and private foresters. To successfully meet these challenges, USDA and our agencies will need to pursue a coordinated approach with USDA stakeholders, including state, local and tribal governments.

The USDA touches the lives of all Americans every day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris administration, the USDA is transforming the American food system with a greater emphasis on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to healthy food and nutrients in all communities, creating new markets and sources of income for farmers and producers using climate-smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in clean energy infrastructure and capacity in rural areas America, and a commitment to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and creating a workforce that is more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.