Conservation Reserve

Enhancement Program –

MARYLAND CHESAPEAKE BAY

Farm Service Agency

Overview

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

State of Maryland have partnered in implementing a 

voluntary Conservation Reserve Enhancement 

Program (CREP) to enroll up to 100,000 acres of 

agricultural land situated in Maryland. The Maryland 

Chesapeake Bay CREP is intended to improve water 

quality, reduce soil erosion, reduce the amount of 

sediment, phosphorous and other pollutants entering 

waterbodies, improve wildlife habitat and restore 

wetlands.

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FACT SHEET

April 2018

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 or ranched, 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 

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 Maryland Chesapeake Bay 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 and 

marginal pastureland from agricultural production and 

convert the land to native grasses, trees and other 

vegetation or restore wetlands. This will improve 

water quality by reducing soil runoff, increasing 

ground water absorption and reducing stream sedimentation and nutrient loading from crop fields. It will also 

enhance and restore plant and wildlife habitat and 

wetlands.
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CREP – MARYLAND CHESAPEAKE BAY - APRIL 2018

CP1 Establishment of Permanent

 Introduced Grasses and Legumes

CP2 Establishment of Permanent Native

 Grasses;

CP3 Tree Planting

CP3A Hardwood Tree Planting

CP4D Permanent Wildlife Habitat,

 Non-Easement

CP9 Shallow Water Areas for Wildlife

CP21 Filter Strips

CP22 Riparian Buffer

CP23 Wetland Restoration

CP23A Wetland Restoration, Non-Floodplain

CP25 Rare and Declining Habitat

CP29 Marginal Pastureland Wildlife Habitat

 Buffer

CP30 Marginal Pastureland Wetland Buffer

Goals

The goals of the Maryland Chesapeake Bay CREP are 

to:

• Reduce the amount of sediment, nitrogen,

 phosphorous and other pollutants from reaching the

 Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries;

• Restore and protect wetlands; and

• Improve wildlife habitat within the project area.

Eligible Conservation Practices

The following specific CRP conservation practices are 

available:

Enrollment and

Eligibility Requirements

Enrollment for the Maryland Chesapeake Bay CREP is 

on a continuous basis. To be eligible, land must be 

located in the project area and be either cropland or 

marginal pastureland. Cropland must meet cropping 

history criteria and be physically and legally capable 

of being planted in a normal manner to an agricultural 

commodity. Marginal pastureland along streams may 

also be eligible for enrollment. Land adjacent to 

channelized intermittent streams and infield 

constructed drainage ditches may also be eligible if 

devoted to a grass filter strip.

Payments

Under the Maryland Chesapeake Bay CREP, eligible 

participants may receive the following payments:

• An annual rental payment based on the land offered

 and the practice installed. The annual rental payment

 consists of:

 - A base soil rental payment determined by the three

 predominant soils of the land offered;

 - A maintenance payment determined by the practice

 offered; and

 - An incentive payment, as a percentage of the base

 soil rental rate, based on the practice offered

 (see table below).

Practice

CP1, CP2, CP3, CP3A and CP4D

(CP4D limited to certain acreage)

CP9, CP29 and CP30

CP4D (limited to certain acreage),

CP21 and CP25

CP22, CP23 and CP23A

80 percent

100 percent

150 percent

200 percent

Incentive
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CREP – MARYLAND CHESAPEAKE BAY - APRIL 2018

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

 per acre for installing practices CP9, CP21, CP22,

 CP29 and CP30, 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 CP9, CP21, CP22, CP23, CP23A,

 CP29 and CP30. The PIP is equal to 40 percent of

 the eligible reimbursable cost of installing the

 practice. Example: Producer’s total eligible

 reimbursable cost for installing the practice is

 $2,000. The PIP would be $800 ($2,000 x .40).

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

 eligible reimbursable cost to install the approved

 practice.

In addition, the State of Maryland provides the 

following payments to eligible participants:

• A one-time state incentive program payment of $100

 per acre for every acre enrolled or re-enrolled;

• A cost-share payment of 37.5 percent of the eligible

 reimbursable cost to install practices CP1, CP2, CP3,

 CP3A, CP21, CP22, CP23, CP23A and CP30; and

• All costs associated with the purchase of voluntary

 permanent easements.

Examples

A Caroline County producer elects to enroll 10 acres 

of land to be devoted to a grass filter strip (practice 

CP21) in a 10-year contract, including permanent 

fencing and a watering facility. The base soil rental 

rate for the land is $90 per acre. The incentive payment 

is $135 per acre ($90 x 1.50). The annual maintenance 

payment is $10 per acre. The producer’s annual rental 

rate will be $235 per acre ($90 + $135 + $10), for a 

total annual payment of $2,350 ($235 x 10 acres). The 

producer will receive $23,500 in annual rental 

payments over the 10-year term of the CRP contract. 

In addition, the producer will receive the following 

payments:

• A one-time SIP of $1,000 (10 acres x $100);

• Cost-share payments equal to 87.5 percent

 (50 percent from the Commodity Credit Corporation

 (CCC) and 37.5 percent from Maryland) of the

 eligible reimbursable costs to install the practice;

• A one-time PIP equal to 40 percent of the eligible

 reimbursable costs to install the practice; and

• $1,000 from the State of Maryland.

A Queen Anne’s County producer elects to enroll

15 acres of land to be devoted to a restored wetland 

(practice CP23) in a 15-year contract. The base soil 

rental rate for the land is $135 per acre. The incentive 

payment is $270 per acre ($135 x 2.0). The producer’s 

annual rental rate will be $405 per acre ($135 + $270), 

for a total annual payment of $6,075 ($405 x 15 acres). 

The producer will receive $91,125 in annual rental 

payments over the 15-year term of the CRP contract. 
4 USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.

CREP – MARYLAND CHESAPEAKE BAY - APRIL 2018

In addition, the producer will receive the following 

payments:

• A one-time SIP of $2,250;

• Cost-share payments equal to 87.5 percent

 (50 percent from CCC and 37.5 percent from

 Maryland) of the eligible reimbursable costs to

 install the practice;

• A one-time PIP equal to 40 percent of the eligible

 reimbursable costs; and

• $1,500 from the State of Maryland. 

Note: The preceding are examples only.

Enrollment Options

CREP is another option under CRP that farmers and 

ranchers may select for their land. Eligible producers 

may still enroll eligible land in CRP through general or 

continuous signup; however, the Maryland Chesapeake 

Bay CREP provides additional benefits not available 

through general and/or continuous signup. Under the 

Maryland Chesapeake Bay CREP, producers receive 

higher incentive payments and have flexibility to 

extend the duration of their CRP contracts that 

increases the total amount of rental 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.