FACT SHEET

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

FARM SERVICE AGENCY

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February 2011

 Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program - Vermont 

Overview

USDA’s Farm Service Agency 

(FSA) and the State of Vermont 

have launched a $2 million Conservation Reserve Enhancement 

Program (CREP) to protect the 

490-square-mile Lake Champlain and its tributaries and the 

Connecticut River Basin and its 

tributaries.

CREP uses federal and state 

resources to safeguard environmentally sensitive land through 

the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Producers enrolled 

in CRP remove lands from 

agricultural production and plant 

native grasses, trees, and other 

vegetation to reduce sediment 

runoff and improve the quality of 

water and wildlife habitat. CRP 

is authorized by the Food Security Act of 1985, as amended. 

CREP provides rental payments 

and other financial incentives to 

encourage producers to voluntarily enroll in 10- to 15-year 

CRP contracts.

Benefits

CREP will safeguard cropland or 

marginal pastureland surrounding streams and rivers that flow 

into Lake Champlain. Program 

participants will establish tree 

buffers, filters strips, grassed 

waterways, and wetlands. 

These conservation practices 

are designed to reduce phosphorus loading to the lake by 

over 96,000 pounds per year. 

Phosphorus reduction is a key 

to restoring the environmental 

health of Lake Champlain, a 

crucial link in the Hudson-Saint 

Lawrence waterway. The buffers 

are specifically designed to trap 

sediment, nutrients, and pollutants and provide wildlife habitat 

for a wide array of species, including lake sturgeon and upland 

bird species.

Goals

The goals of the Vermont CREP 

are to:

• Reduce phosphorus loading 

to Lake Champlain by 48.3 

tons per year.

• Enhance wildlife and aquatic 

habitat.

Program Cost

The expected combined federal 

and state obligation is $2.1 million over 15 years, with $1.46 

million from FSA and $640,000 

from Vermont. This does not 

include any costs that may be 

borne by producers. Vermont’s 

share is approximately 20 percent of the total program costs; 

FSA’s share is approximately 80 

percent.

Eligible Areas

Producers can offer land in the 

Lake Champlain Basin, which 

includes: Lamoille, LaPlatte, 

Mettawee, Missiquoi, Poultney, 

Winooski Rivers and Otter Creek 

areas. In addition, producers can 

offer land in the Connecticut 

River Basin, which includes: 

Black, Connecticut, Deerfield, 

Ompompanoosuc, Ottaquechee, 

Passumpsic, Saxtons, Stevens, 

Waits, Wells, White, and William 

rivers areas. To find out if your 

operation is located within the 

project area, contact your local 

FSA office.

Approved Conservation Practices

The following conservation practices may be eligible for enrollment into the Vermont CREP:

• CP8A Grass Waterways 

• CP21 Filter Strips

• CP22 Riparian Buffer

• CP23 Wetland Restoration

Signup and Eligibility Requirements

Eligible producers can enroll in 

10- to 15 year CRP contracts. 

Producers may extend the 

benefits of the program through 

separate contracts with the state. 

Applicants must be able to offer eligible acreage and satisfy 

the basic eligibility criteria for 

CRP. Land must be cropland that 

has been cropped 4 out of the 

past 6 years (2002-2007) and is 

physically and legally capable of 

being cropped in a normal manner. Marginal pastureland is also 

eligible provided it is suitable for 

use as a riparian buffer planted to 

trees. Applicants must generally 

have owned or operated the land 

for at least one year prior to enrollment. Persons with an existing CRP contract or an approved 

offer with a contract pending are 

not eligible for CREP until that 
FACT SHEET

CREP - Vermont February 2011

contract expires.

CREP Payments

Vermont CREP participants are 

eligible for four types of USDA 

payments:

• Signing Incentive Payment - a one-time payment 

consistent with Handbook 

2-CRP for land enrolled in a 

riparian buffer practice, filter 

strip, or grassed waterway. 

FSA makes this payment 

soon after the contract has 

been signed.

• Practice Incentive Payment 

- payment equal to about 40 

percent of the total cost for 

establishing riparian buffers, 

grass waterways, and filter 

strips. This payment is in addition to the 50 percent cost 

share assistance that FSA 

provides.

• Annual rental payment of 

about 200 percent of the 

maximum average soil rental 

rate for the county in which 

the land is located, which includes an incentive payment 

of 100 percent of the base 

soil rental rate for CRP.

• Cost share assistance for 

installing the conservation 

practices on enrolled land.

Enrollment in Other Programs

Applicants may still enroll in 

general or continuous signup 

CRP. However, CREP provides 

additional benefits not available 

through the general and/or continuous signup. For instance, the 

CREP enrollment process is on 

a continuous basis and payments 

are at a higher effective rate.

Haying and Grazing

Haying and grazing is not allowed during the CRP contract 

period unless FSA permits it 

for emergency purposes under 

normal CRP rules.

For More Information

For more information on the 

Vermont CREP, contact your local FSA office, or Soil and Water 

Conservation District 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 

Federal-relay) or (800) 845-6136 

(Spanish Federal-relay). USDA is 

an equal opportunity provider and 

employer.

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