FACT SHEET

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

FARM SERVICE AGENCY

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February 2011

 Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program Florida State

Overview

USDA and the State of Florida have 

launched a $153 million Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program 

(CREP) to restore environmentally 

sensitive land in the Florida Everglades, its estuaries, and river lagoon 

systems. 

CREP, which is administered by the 

Farm Service Agency (FSA), uses 

Federal and state resources, through 

the Conservation Reserve Program 

(CRP), to meet state-specific environmental objectives and to safeguard 

environmentally sensitive land.

Under CREP, producers convert 

cropland and marginal pastureland to 

native grasses, trees, wetlands, and 

related conservation buffer practices 

to improve water quality, soil, and 

wildlife habitat. CREP provides rental 

payments, cost-share assistance, and 

other financial incentives to encourage 

producers to voluntarily enroll in 14- 

to 15-year CRP contracts.

Benefits

The Florida CREP has the potential 

for significant water quality and wildlife habitat benefits. When fully implemented, it will protect waterways 

and substantially reduce the nitrogen 

and sediment deposition caused by 

agricultural practices.

The Florida CREP targets 30,000 

acres in the Florida Everglades and 

protects the diverse ecosystem by reimbursing farmers who retire cropland 

and marginal pastureland.

Goals

The goals of the Florida CREP are to:

• Reduce average annual phosphorus loading into the Everglades 

Protection Area by approximately 

100 metric tons annually through 

establishment of conservation 

practices; 

• Increase the water storage capacity in the Lake Okeechobee and 

Indian River watershed through 

wetland restoration/creation; 

• Reduce pollutant loading from 

agricultural operations adjacent 

to the lower St. Johns River and 

in the Ocklawaha and Indian 

River Basin by at least 25 percent 

below modeled historic average 

annual loading; and 

• Provide substantial wildlife 

habitat enhancement for the 

preservation of natural diversity 

of Florida’s biological resources, 

including threatened and endangered species associated with 

riparian and wetland habitats. 

Program Cost

Based on the full implementation of 

the Florida CREP with an enrollment 

of 30,000 acres, the federal and state 

financial obligation will be approximately $153 million over 15 years, 

with $96 million provided by FSA 

and $57 million provided by the state. 

The state’s share is approximately 

37 percent of the total program costs 

and the federal government’s share 

is approximately 63 percent. CREP 

participants will also incur a portion 

of the practice establishment costs.

The State of Florida will:

• Seek voluntary conservation 

easements covering land converted to Riparian Buffers (practice 

CP22) and Restored Wetlands 

(practice CP23). These easements 

will have either permanent or 

15-year durations and will begin 

after the CREP contracts expire; 

• Provide additional cost-share 

assistance for implementation of 

the buffer practices; 

• Provide an additional 50-percent 

cost-share for practice implementation on permanent easements 

sites, and 25 percent additional 

cost-share for 15-year “conservation lease” easement sites; and 

• Offer a one-time supplemental 

payment equal to 25 percent of 

the total of CRP rental payments 

for landowners who sign up for 

a voluntary permanent easement 

contract.

Eligible Areas and Eligibility Requirements

Producers can offer eligible land 

within the Everglades and St. JohnsOcklawaha-Indian River Lagoon 

Systems. Certain eligible land in the 

South Florida Water Management 

District and St. Johns Water Management District may also be enrolled.

To be eligible for CREP, conservation 

buffer practices must be needed and 

feasible and the applicant must also 

satisfy the basic eligibility criteria for 

CRP. Eligible land is:

• Cropland (including citrus groves 

and field margins) that is planted 

to an agricultural commodity during 4 of the previous 6 crop years 

from 2002 to 2007, and which is 

physically and legally capable of 

being planted in a normal manner 

to an agricultural commodity; 

• Marginal pastureland that is suitable for use as a riparian buffer 

planted to trees, wildlife habitat 

buffer, or wetland buffer; and 

• Owned or operated for at least 1 

year prior to enrollment. 

Sites under an existing CRP contract, 

or an approved CRP offer with a contract pending, are ineligible for CREP 

until that contract expires. Participants 

must also have an adjusted gross income of $2.5 million or less annually 

to qualify for the federal portion of 

CREP payments.
FACT SHEET

CREP - Florida State February 2011

Producers should contact their local 

FSA office for specific information 

concerning their eligibility for CREP.

Approved Conservation Practices

The following conservation practices 

may be eligible for land enrolled into 

the Florida CREP:

• CP3A - Hardwood Tree Planting; 

• CP4D - Permanent Wildlife 

Habitat; 

• CP9 - Shallow Water Areas for 

Wildlife; 

• CP21 - Filter Strips; 

• CP22 - Riparian Buffers; 

• CP23 - Wetland Restoration; 

• CP29 - Marginal Pasture and 

Wildlife Habitat Buffer; and 

• CP30 - Marginal Pasture and 

Wetland Buffer.

Note: CP3A and CP4D enrollment 

acreage may not exceed 5,000 acres.

Sign-Up

Eligible producers may enroll in 14-

year to 15-year CREP contracts.

 Enrollment for the Florida CREP will 

be on a continuous year-round sign-up 

basis within the approved area until 

December 31, 2007, or until terminated by USDA’s Commodity Credit 

Corporation or the State of Florida.

CREP Payments

Participants enrolled in the Florida 

CREP may be eligible for annual 

rental payments, cost-share assistance 

for the installation of the conservation 

practices, and incentive payments.

Per acre annual rental rates will be 

calculated by FSA in accordance 

with the following schedule and CRP 

policy:

• For Riparian Buffers (CP22), 

Wildlife Habitat Buffers (CP29), 

and Wetland Buffers (CP30) on 

marginal pastureland, the base 

rate will be determined using 

the county marginal pastureland 

average CRP rental rate within 

the respective county as the base 

rate; 

• For cropland, the base rate will 

be determined using the calculated weighted average for the three 

predominant CRP soil rental rates 

on the enrolled acreage; 

• An 80-percent incentive rate will 

be applied to the respective base 

rate for all Florida CREP practices established on either marginal 

pastureland or cropland; 

• A maintenance payment-rate 

per acre, established according 

to CRP policy, will be included 

in the annual rental rate for the 

practices established; 

• For Wetland Restoration (CP23) 

sites a one-time 25-percent Wetland Restoration Incentive Payment to restore natural hydrology 

will apply; and 

• For Filter Strip (CP21) and Riparian Buffer (CP22) sites, a onetime Signing Incentive Payment 

and Practice Incentive Payments 

will apply. 

FSA will pay up to 50 percent of the 

cost of installing eligible conservation 

practices as determined by FSA.

Enrollment in Other Programs

CREP is another option that farmers 

may select to enhance their land; applicants may still enroll in the general 

sign-up CRP or continuous sign-up 

CRP. CREP provides additional benefits not available through the general 

and/or continuous CRP. Under CREP, 

applicants have the flexibility to 

extend conservation benefits through 

a state-funded program and thus 

increase the sum total of rental payments. Also, the enrollment process 

is on a continuous basis and per acre 

payments are generally at a higher 

rate.

Haying and Grazing

Currently, haying and grazing are not 

permitted during the CREP contract 

period unless the Secretary of Agriculture permits it for emergency purposes 

or under managed haying and grazing 

provisions.

For More Information

For more information on the Florida 

CREP, contact your local FSA office. 

Additional information is also available on FSA’s Web site at: www.fsa.

usda.gov.

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 of part of an individual’s income 

is derived from any public assistance program. 

(Not all 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 Federalrelay) or (800) 845-6136 (Spanish Federalrelay). USDA is an equal opportunity provider 

and employer.

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