Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program –

Colorado Republican River

Farm Service Agency

Overview

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the 

State of Colorado are partners in implementing a 

voluntary Conservation Reserve Enhancement 

Program (CREP) to enroll up to 60,000 acres of 

cropland within the Republican River Basin in Kit 

Carson, Lincoln, Logan, Phillips, Sedgwick, 

Washington, and Yuma, counties. The Colorado 

Republican River CREP is intended to reduce 

irrigation water consumption by removing irrigated 

cropland from agricultural production and converting 

the land to permanent vegetative cover, including 

native grasses, forbs and legumes. In addition, the 

conversion of irrigated cropland to permanent 

vegetative cover will reduce the amount of fertilizer 

and pesticide application, reduce soil erosion, enhance 

water quality and wildlife habitat, and reduce the 

amount of energy used through reduced groundwater 

pumping. 

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FACT SHEET

June 2019

CONSERVATION

Background

CREP is part of the USDA Conservation Reserve 

Program (CRP). CRP is a federally funded voluntary 

program that contracts with agricultural producers so 

that environmentally sensitive agricultural land is not 

farmed, but instead used for conservation benefits. 

CRP participants establish permanent, 

resource-conserving plant species, such as approved 

grasses or trees (known as “covers”) to control soil 

erosion, improve water quality and develop wildlife 

habitat. In return, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) 

provides participants with rental payments and 

cost-share assistance. CRP is authorized by the Food 

and Security Act of 1985, as amended. 

With CREP, high-priority conservation goals are 

identified by the state, and then federal funds are 

supplemented with non-federal funds to achieve those 

goals.

Through the Colorado Republican River CREP, federal 

and state resources are made available to program 

participants to voluntarily enroll in CRP for 14-year to 

15-year contracts. Participants remove irrigated 

cropland from agricultural production and convert the 

land to permanent grasses, forbs, legumes, and shrubs. 

This will reduce irrigation water consumption, 

improve water quality by reducing sediment, nutrients, 

pesticides and other pollutants being applied to the 

land and entering streams and rivers, and will enhance 

wildlife habitat in the area. 
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CREP – COLORADO REPUBLICAN RIVER - JUNE 2019

CP2 Establishment of Permanent Native

 Grasses;

CP4D Permanent Wildlife habitat,

 Noneasement;

CP22 Riparian Buffer;

CP23 Wetland Restoration; and

CP23A Wetland Restoration, Non-Floodplain

Goals

The goals of the Colorado Republican River CREP

are to:

• Reduce irrigation water use from the

 Ogallala Aquifer;

• Reduce soil erosion;

• Reduce the amount of fertilizer and pesticide

 application;

• Improve water quality through wetland restoration

 and reduction in sediment, nutrients, and other

 pollutants entering waterbodies;

• Reduce the amount of energy used through reduction

 in groundwater pumping;

• Reduce depletions in stream flow; and 

• Enhance wildlife habitat. 

Eligible Conservation Practices

The following specific CRP conservation practices are 

available:

Enrollment and Eligibility 

Requirements

Enrollment under the Colorado Republican River 

CREP is on a continuous basis. To be eligible, land 

must be located within the project area and be irrigated 

cropland or non-irrigated cropland that is a 

center-pivot corner immediately adjacent to the 

center-pivot irrigated cropland being enrolled. Both 

irrigated and non-irrigated cropland must meet 

cropping history criteria and be physically and legally 

capable of being planted in a normal manner to an 

agricultural commodity. Irrigated cropland must meet 

irrigation history criteria and be physically and legally 

capable of being irrigated in a normal manner. The 

irrigation water rights associated with the cropland 

enrolled must be permanently retired; however, the 

State of Colorado may allow a new permit on certain 

wells for watering of livestock or for single family 

dwellings. 

Payments

Under the Colorado Republican River CREP, eligible 

participants may receive the following payments:

• An annual rental payment consisting of:

- A base soil rental rate, determined by (1) when

 only irrigated acres are enrolled, the irrigated

 rental rate for the county where the land is

 physically located; or (2) when a combination of

 irrigated and non-irrigated acres are enrolled, the

 weighted average rental of two predominant

 non-irrigated soils and the irrigated rental rate for

 the irrigated acres; and

 - A maintenance payment, determined by the

 practice offered.

• A one-time signing incentive payment (SIP) of $100

 per acre for installing practice CP22; or $150 per

 acre for installing practices CP23 and CP23A.

 Example: 10 acres enrolled to be devoted to practice

 CP22 result in a $1,000 (10 acres x $100) SIP. This

 payment is made soon after the contract has been

 signed and approved.

• A one-time practice incentive payment (PIP) for

 installing practices CP2 (only if located in an

 approved public wellhead area), CP22, CP23, and

 CP23A. The PIP is equal to 40 percent of eligible

 cost of installing the practice. Example: Producer’s

 total eligible cost of installing the practice is $2,000.

 The PIP would be $800 ($2,000 x .40).
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CREP – COLORADO REPUBLICAN RIVER - JUNE 2019

• A cost-share payment of up to 50 percent of the

 eligible reimbursable cost to install the approved

 practice. 

In addition, the State of Colorado provides an annual 

payment to eligible participants based on the irrigated 

acres enrolled and the location of the well or point of 

diversion of surface water. The State of Colorado’s 

annual payment will be:

• $300 per acre for cropland irrigated only with

 surface water from the Arikaree River or the South

 Fork or North Fork of the Republican River; 

• $55 per acre for cropland irrigated with groundwater

 from a well that is located within 0 to 1 mile from a

 certain portion of the South Fork Republican River;

• $35 per acre for cropland irrigated with groundwater

 from a well that is located within certain portions of

 the South Fork Republican River Sub Basin;

• $20 per acre for cropland irrigated with groundwater

 from a well that is located: 

 - Within 0 to 1 mile from a certain portion of the

 North Fork Republican River; or

 - Within “0 to 1 mile from a certain portion of the

 Arikaree River; and

• $6 per acre for cropland irrigated with groundwater

 from a well that is located within the project area but

 not within one of the areas identified above. 

Examples

A Yuma County producer elects to enroll 120 acres of 

irrigated center-pivot cropland to be devoted to CRP 

practice CP4D in a 15-year contract. The well from 

which the land is irrigated is located within 1 mile of 

the South Fork of the Republican River. The base soil 

rental rate for the land is the per-acre irrigated rental 

rate of $212. The annual rental payment will be 

$25,440 ($212 x 120 acres). The producer will receive 

$381,600 in annual rental payments from USDA over 

the 15-year term of the CRP contract. In addition, the 

producer will receive an annual payment of $55 per 

acre from the State of Colorado. The producer will 

receive $99,000 in annual rental payments from the 

State of Colorado over the 15-year term of the CRP 

contract. Cost-share payment equal to 50 percent of 

the eligible reimbursable cost to install the practice 

will also be provided by USDA. 

A Kit Carson County producer elects to enroll 120 

acres of irrigated center-pivot cropland and 20 acres of 

non-irrigated cropland that are the corners to the 

center-pivot irrigated cropland. All acres will be 

devoted to CRP practice CP4D in a 15-year contract. 

The well from which the land is irrigated is located 

within the South Fork Republican River Sub Basin, 

but not within 1 mile of the South Fork of the 

Republican River. The base soil rental rate is $166, 

which is the weighted average of the irrigated rental 

rate and the non-irrigated rental rate. The annual rental 

payment will be $23,240 ($166 x 140 acres). The 

producer will receive $348,600 in annual rental 

payments from USDA over the 15-year term of the 

CRP contract. In addition, the producer will receive an 

annual payment of $35 per acre from the State of 

Colorado. The producer will receive $63,000 in annual 

rental payments from the State of Colorado over the 

15-year term of the CRP contract. Cost-share payment 

equal to 50 percent of the eligible reimbursable cost to 

install the practice will also be provided by USDA.

Note: The preceding are examples only.
4 USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

CREP – COLORADO REPUBLICAN RIVER - JUNE 2019

Enrollment Options

CREP is another option under CRP that farmers may 

select to enhance their land. Eligible producers may 

still enroll eligible land in CRP through general or 

continuous signup. Under the Colorado Republican 

River CREP, producers receive a higher rental rate.

In addition, the State of Colorado provides additional 

payments to eligible participants. 

Haying and Grazing

Haying and grazing are not allowed during the CRP 

contract period unless authorized by USDA. Contact 

your local FSA office for more information about 

authorized haying and grazing activities. 

For More Information

For more information on CREP, contact your local 

FSA office. To find your local FSA county office, visit 

farmers.gov. To learn more about FSA conservation 

programs, visit fsa.usda.gov/conservation.

This fact sheet is for informational purposes only; 

other eligibility requirements or restrictions may apply.