CONSERVATION

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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

FARM SERVICE AGENCY FACT SHEET November 2015

Conservation Reserve Program Continuous Sign-Up

OVERVIEW

USDA Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Conservation 

Reserve Program (CRP) is a voluntary program that 

contracts with agricultural producers so that 

environmentally sensitive agricultural land is not 

farmed or ranched, but instead used for 

conservation benefits. CRP participants establish 

long-term, resource-conserving vegetative 

species, such as approved grasses or trees (known as 

“covers”) to control soil erosion, improve the water 

quality and enhance wildlife habitat. In 

return, FSA provides participants with rental 

payments and cost-share assistance. Continuous 

sign-up contracts are 10 to 15 years in duration.

The Food Security Act of 1985, as amended, 

authorized CRP. The program is also governed by 

regulations published in 7 CFR, part 1410. The 

program is implemented by FSA on behalf of 

USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation. More 

detailed information on CRP is available in the FSA 

fact sheet, “Conservation Reserve Program” located 

at www.fsa.usda.gov/Internet/FSA_File/2014_crpgeneral.pdf

BENEFITS

CRP protects millions of acres of American topsoil 

from erosion and is designed to safeguard the 

nation’s natural resources. By reducing water 

runoff and sedimentation, CRP protects 

groundwater and helps improve the condition of 

lakes, rivers, ponds, and streams. The 

vegetative covers also make CRP a major contributor to increased wildlife populations in many parts 

of the country.

ADMINISTRATION

FSA administers CRP while technical support functions are provided by:

• USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS);

• USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA);

• State forestry agencies;

• Local soil and water conservation districts;

• Other non-federal providers of technical 

assistance.

CONTINUOUS SIGN-UP

Under continuous sign-up authority, 

environmentally sensitive land devoted to certain 

conservation practices can be enrolled in CRP at any 

time. Offers are automatically accepted 

provided the land and producer meet certain 

eligibility requirements. Unlike CRP enrollments 

under general sign-up authority, offers for 

continuous sign-up are not subject to competitive 

bidding. 

The effective date of the CRP contract is the first 

day of the month following the month of approval. 

In certain circumstances, producers may defer the 

effective date for up to six months.

If the acreage is currently under CRP contract and is 

within one year of the scheduled expiration date, the 

effective date is Oct. 1 following the expiration date.

To offer land for continuous sign-up, producers 

should contact their local FSA office. 

ELIGIBLE PRODUCERS

A producer must have owned or operated the land 

for at least 12 months prior to submitting the offer, 

unless:

• The new owner acquired the land due to the 

previous owner’s death;

• The ownership change occurred due to 

foreclosure where the owner exercised a timely 

right of redemption in accordance with state law 

or; 

• The circumstances of the acquisition present 

adequate assurance to FSA that the new owner 

did not acquire the land for the purpose of 

placing it in CRP.
FACT SHEET

CRP Continuous Sign-up November 2015

ELIGIBLE LAND

Land must be cropland that is planted or 

considered planted to an agricultural commodity 

four of the previous six crop years from 2008 to 

2013, and is physically and legally capable of being 

planted (no planting restrictions due to an easement 

or other legally binding instrument) in a normal 

manner to an agricultural commodity.

ELIGIBLE PRACTICES

The land must be eligible and suitable for any of the 

following conservation practices:

• Riparian buffers;

• Wildlife habitat buffers;

• Wetland buffers;

• Filter strips;

• Wetland restoration;

• Grass waterways;

• Shelterbelts;

• Living snow fences;

• Contour grass strips;

• Constructed wetlands;

• Restoration of aquaculture wetlands;

• Wildlife habitat restoration within approved 

State Areas for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) 

projects;

• Salt tolerant vegetation or;

• Shallow water areas for wildlife.

Land within an Environmental Protection Agency 

(EPA)-designated public wellhead area also may be 

eligible for enrollment on a continuous basis.

PAYMENTS

FSA provides CRP continuous sign-up participants 

with annual rental payments, including certain 

incentives and cost-share assistance:

• Rental Payments

° In return for establishing long-term, resourceconserving covers, FSA provides annual rental 

payments to participants. FSA bases rental rates 

on the relative productivity of the soils within each 

county and the average dry-land cash rent or cash 

rent equivalent as guidelines.

 

° The per-acre annual rental rate may not exceed the 

calculated rate determined in advance of enrollment. 

While continuous sign-up acceptance is not 

determined by a competitive offer process, 

producers may elect to receive an amount less than 

the maximum payment rate.

• Cost-Share Assistance

° An upfront signing incentive payment (SIP) 

up to $150 per acre. The one-time SIP will be made 

after the contract is approved and all payment 

eligibility criteria are met and; 

° A practice incentive payment (PIP) equal to 40 

percent of the eligible installation costs for eligible 

participants who enroll certain practices. The onetime PIP will be issued after the practice is installed, 

eligible costs are verified and other payment 

eligibility criteria are met.

MORE INFORMATION

To find more information about FSA programs, 

contact your local FSA office or USDA Service 

Center. To find your local FSA county office, visit 

http://offices.usda.gov.

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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits 

discrimination in all of its programs and activities on 

the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial 

status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, political beliefs, genetic information, reprisal, or because 

all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any 

public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases 

apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program 

information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should 

contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 

(voice and TDD). 

To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of the Assistant 

Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, 

S.W., Stop 9410, Washington, DC 20250-9410, or call 

toll-free at (866) 632-9992 (English) or (800) 877-8339 

(TDD) or (866) 377-8642 (English Federal-relay) or 

(800) 845-6136 (Spanish Federal-relay). 

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

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