CONSERVATION

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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

FARM SERVICE AGENCY FACT SHEET February 2017

Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program – 

North Dakota Riparian Project

OVERVIEW

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 

and the State of North Dakota are partners in 

implementing a voluntary Conservation Reserve 

Enhancement Program (CREP) to enroll up to 

20,000 acres in a portion of Adams, Billings, 

Bowman, Burleigh, Dunn, Emmons, Golden 

Valley, Grant, Hettinger, McKenzie, Mercer, 

Morton, Oliver, Sioux, Slope and Stark counties. 

The North Dakota Riparian Project CREP 

is intended to improve water quality, reduce 

soil erosion, reduce the amount of sediment, 

phosphorous and other pollutants entering 

waterbodies and create and improve habitat 

beneficial to pollinators and other wildlife.

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 or ranched, but 

instead used for conservation benefits. CRP 

participants establish permanent, resourceconserving 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 costshare assistance. CRP is authorized by the Food 

Security Act of 1985 and was reauthorized by the 

Agricultural Act of 2014.

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 North Dakota Riparian Project CREP, 

federal and state resources are made available 

to program participants to voluntarily enroll in 

CRP for 10-year to 15-year contracts. Participants 

remove cropland from agricultural production and

convert the land to riparian buffers, filter strips and 

native grasses and forbs. This will improve water 

quality, reduce soil erosion, reduce the amount 

of sediment, phosphorous and other pollutants 

entering waterbodies and improve pollinator and 

other wildlife habitat.

GOALS

The goals of the North Dakota Riparian Project 

CREP are to:

• Reduce sediments, nutrients and agricultural 

chemicals entering watercourses;

• Increase the number of acres enrolled in the 

North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s 

Private Land Open to Sportsman program;

• Improve habitat for aquatic and terrestrial 

wildlife; and

• Create and improve pollinator habitat.

ELIGIBLE CONSERVATION PRACTICES

The following specific CRP conservation 

practices are available:

• CP21, Filter Strips;

• CP22, Riparian Buffer;

• CP42, Pollinator Habitat; and

• CP42B, Pollinator Habitat for Honey Bees.

ENROLLMENT AND ELIGIBILITY 

REQUIREMENTS

Enrollment for the North Dakota Riparian Project 

CREP is on a continuous basis. To be eligible, 

land must be located in the project area and be 

cropland. Land currently or previously enrolled 

in CRP is not eligible for enrollment in the North 

Dakota Riparian Project CREP. Cropland must 

meet cropping history criteria and be physically 

and legally capable of being planted in a normal 

manner to an agricultural commodity.
FACT SHEET

CREP - North Dakota Riparian Project February 2017

At least 50 percent of the total acres enrolled per 

contract must be devoted to practice CP21 or 

CP22. The remaining portion of the acres enrolled, 

not to exceed 50 percent of the total acres enrolled, 

may be devoted to practice CP42 and/or CP42B.

All land enrolled in a CRP contract under the 

North Dakota Riparian Project CREP must also be 

enrolled in the North Dakota Private Land Open 

to Sportsman program. A minimum of 40 acres of 

land must be enrolled in the North Dakota Private 

Land Open to Sportsman program for the length 

of the associated CRP contract. If the total acres 

enrolled in a CRP contract is less than 40 acres, 

the producer must enroll other land into the North 

Dakota Private Land Open to Sportsman program 

to meet the 40-acre minimum requirement.

PAYMENTS

Under the North Dakota Riparian Project CREP, 

eligible participants may receive the following 

payments:

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

the eligible reimbursable cost to install the 

approved conservation practice.

• Cost-share payments for certain management 

activities during the life of the CRP contract, 

subject to certain limitations.

• A one-time signing incentive payment (SIP) 

of $100 per acre for installing practices CP21 

and CP22; $150 per acre for installing practice 

CP42; or $75 per acre for installing practice 

CP42B. Example: 10 acres enrolled to be 

devoted to practice CP21 result in a $1,000 

(10 acres x $100) SIP. This payment is made 

soon after the contract has been signed and 

approved.

• An annual rental payment consisting of:

 o A base soil rental rate, determined by the

 three predominant soils of the eligible land

 offered; and

 o An incentive payment, as a percentage of

 the base soil rental rate, of:

 • 40 percent for practices CP21 and CP22;

 • 20 percent for practice CP42; and

 • 10 percent for practice CP42B.

In addition, the State of North Dakota provides the 

following payments:

• A one-time incentive payment of $100 per 

acre enrolled under the North Dakota Riparian 

Project CREP;

• A cost-share payment of up to 50 percent 

of eligible reimbursable cost to install the 

approved conservation practice;

• Cost-share payments for certain management 

activities during the life of the CRP contract, 

subject to certain limitations; and

• An annual payment for land enrolled in 

the North Dakota Private Land Open to 

Sportsman program. The amount of payment 

for enrollment in the North Dakota Private 

Land Open to Sportsman program will vary 

depending upon the type of habitat being 

enrolled.

EXAMPLES

A Slope County producer elects to enroll 10 acres 

of land to be devoted to a filter strip (practice 

CP21) in a 15-year contract. The producer enrolls 

the 10 acres of filter strip and an additional 

40 acres located immediately adjacent to the filter 

strip into the North Dakota Private Land Open 

to Sportsman program. The base soil rental rate 

for the 10 acres of land to be devoted to practice 

CP21 is $34 per acre. The incentive payment is $14 

per acre ($34 x .40). The producer’s annual CRP 

rental rate will be $48 per acre ($34 + $14) for a 

total annual payment of $480 ($48 x 10 acres). 

The producer will receive $7,200 in annual CRP 

rental payments over the 15-year term of the CRP 

contract. In addition, the producer will receive a 

one-time SIP of $1,000 (10 acres x $100). The 

producer will receive cost-share payments equal 

to 100 percent of the eligible reimbursable costs 

to install the filter strip (50 percent from USDA 

and 50 percent from the State of North Dakota). 

In addition, the State of North Dakota will pay 

the producer a one-time incentive payment equal 

to $1,000 (10 acres x $100). The State of North 

Dakota will also provide an annual payment to 

the producer for the 50 acres enrolled in the North 

Dakota Private Land Open to Sportsman program. 

The North Dakota Private Land Open to Sportsmen

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program payment will vary depending upon the 

type of habitat being enrolled.

An Emmons County producer elects to enroll 

10 acres of land to be devoted to a filter strip 

(practice CP21) and five acres to be devoted to 

pollinator habitat (practice CP42) in a 15-year 

contract. The producer enrolls the 15 acres plus an 

additional 40 acres located immediately adjacent to 

the filter strip into the North Dakota Private Land 

Open to Sportsman program. The base soil rental 

rate for the land is $71 per acre. The incentive 

payment is $23 per acre, which is a prorated 

amount based on the 40 percent incentive for the 

10 acres of practice CP21 and 20 percent incentive 

for the five acres of practice CP42. The producer’s 

annual rental rate will be $94 per acre ($71 + $23)

for a total annual payment of $1,410 ($94 x 

15 acres). The producer will receive $21,150 in 

annual rental payments over the 15-year term 

of the CRP contract. In addition, the producer 

will receive a one-time SIP of $1,750 [(10 acres 

x $100) + (5 acres x $150)]. The producer will 

receive cost-share payments equal to 100 percent 

of the eligible reimbursable costs to install the filter 

strip and pollinator habitat (50 percent from USDA 

and 50 percent from the State of North Dakota). 

In addition, the State of North Dakota will pay 

the producer a one-time incentive payment equal 

to $1,500 (15 acres x $100). The State of North 

Dakota will also provide an annual payment to 

the producer for the 55 acres enrolled in the North 

Dakota Private Land Open to Sportsman program. 

The North Dakota Private Land Open to Sportsmen 

program payment will vary depending upon the 

type of habitat being enrolled.

Note: The preceding are examples only.

ENROLLMENT OPTIONS

CREP is another option under CRP that producers 

may select to enhance their land. Eligible producers 

may still enroll eligible land in CRP through 

general or continuous enrollment authority; 

however, the North Dakota Riparian Project 

CREP provides additional benefits not available 

through the general and/or continuous enrollment. 

Under the North Dakota Riparian Project CREP, 

producers receive higher incentive payments that 

increase the total amount of payments received.

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

This fact sheet is provided for informational 

purposes only; other restrictions or requirements 

may apply. For more information on CREP, contact 

your local FSA office. To find your local FSA 

county office, visit http://offices.usda.gov. To 

learn more about FSA conservation programs, visit 

www.fsa.usda.gov/conservation.

_________________________________________

In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, 

the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions 

participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited 

from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, 

sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income 

derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program 

or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to 

all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by 

program or incident.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, 

audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the 

responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 

(voice and TTY) or contact USDA through the Federal Relay 

Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program information may 

be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA 

Program Discrimination Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online 

at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html and at any 

USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in 

the letter all of the information requested in the form. To request 

a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. Submit your 

completed form or letter to USDA by:

1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Assistant

 Secretary for Civil Rights 1400 Independence Avenue, SW

 Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;

2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or

3) email: program.intake@usda.gov.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

FACT SHEET

CREP - North Dakota Riparian Project February 2017

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