CONSERVATION

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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

FARM SERVICE AGENCY FACT SHEET February 2017

Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program – 

Virginia Chesapeake Bay

OVERVIEW

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

the Commonwealth of Virginia are partners in 

implementing a voluntary Conservation Reserve 

Enhancement Program (CREP) to enroll up to 

25,000 acres of agricultural land in all or a portion of 

Accomack, Albemarle, Alleghany, Amelia, Amherst, 

Appomattox, Augusta, Bath, Bedford, Botetourt, 

Buckingham, Campbell, Caroline, Charles City, 

Chesapeake, Chesterfield, Clarke, Craig, Culpeper, 

Dinwiddie, Essex, Fairfax, Fauquier, Fluvanna, 

Frederick, Giles, Gloucester, Goochland, Greene, 

Hanover, Henrico, Highland, Isle of Wight, James 

City, King and Queen, King George, Lancaster, 

Loudoun, Madison, Mathews, Middlesex, 

Montgomery, Nelson, New Kent, Northumberland, 

Nottoway, Orange, Page, Prince Edward, Prince 

George, Prince William, Rappahannock, Roanoke, 

Rockbridge, Rockingham, Shenandoah, Spotsylvania, 

Stafford, Suffolk, Surry, Virginia Beach, Warren, 

Westmoreland and York counties. The Virginia 

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.

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 Virginia 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 sediment, 

nutrients, nitrogen and other pollutants from entering 

streams and rivers, and enhance wildlife habitat in the 

area.

GOALS

The goals of the Virginia Chesapeake Bay CREP are 

to:

• Help agricultural producers meet nutrient 

reduction goals in the Chesapeake Bay 

Watershed;

• Reduce sediments, nutrients, nitrogen and other 

pollutants from entering waterbodies;

• Reduce soil erosion;

• Improve water quality through wetland 

restoration; and

• Enhance wildlife habitat, including aquatic 

wildlife.

ELIGIBLE CONSERVATION PRACTICES

The following specific CRP conservation practices 

are available:

• CP21, Filter Strips;

• CP22, Riparian Buffer;

• CP23, Wetland Restoration; and

• CP29, Marginal Pastureland Wildlife Habitat 

Buffer.

ENROLLMENT AND ELIGIBILITY 

REQUIREMENTS

Enrollment for the Virginia Chesapeake Bay CREP 

is on a continuous basis. To be eligible, land must be 
FACT SHEET

CREP - Virginia Chesapeake Bay February 2017

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 is also eligible for 

enrollment provided it is suitable for use as a riparian 

buffer. Persons who have an existing CRP contract 

are not eligible for CREP on that land until that 

contract expires.

PAYMENTS

Under the Virginia Chesapeake Bay CREP, eligible 

participants may receive the following payments:

• A one-time signing incentive payment (SIP) 

of $100 per acre for installing practices CP21, 

CP22 and CP29. 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 CP21, CP22, CP23 and CP29. 

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).

• An annual rental payment consisting of:

 o A base soil rental rate, determined by (1) for

 cropland, the three predominant soils of the

 land offered; or (2) for marginal pastureland,

 the posted marginal pastureland rate for the

 county;

 o An incentive payment, as a percentage of the

 base soil rental rate, of 120 percent; and

 o A $5 maintenance payment.

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

eligible cost to install the approved practice.

• A one-time Chesapeake Bay incentive payment 

(CBIP) in an amount equal to $100 to $300 per 

acre for practice CP22 only, and only for land 

located within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. 

The one-time CBIP amount is based on the 

average width of the riparian buffer.

Average Width of 

Riparian Buffer

One-Time CBIP 

Amount

35 feet $100 per acre

36 feet – 50 feet $150 per acre

51 feet – 100 feet $200 per acre

101 feet – 300 feet $300 per acre

Example: 10 acres of land within the Chesapeake 

Bay Watershed are enrolled to be devoted to practice 

CP22, Riparian Buffer, with an average width of 75 

feet. The one-time CBIP is $2,000 ($200 x 10 acres).

In addition, the Commonwealth of Virginia provides 

the following payments to eligible participants:

• A one-time lump-sum incentive payment of $50 

or $75 per acre, based on the length of the CRP 

contract; and

• A cost-share payment of up to 25 percent of the 

eligible cost for installing practices CP21, CP23 

and CP29; and 50 percent of the eligible cost for 

installing practice CP22.

The Commonwealth of Virginia may also provide a 

tax credit to eligible landowners.

The total annual per acre payment, including the 

Commonwealth of Virginia incentives, shall not 

exceed $100.

EXAMPLES

An Orange County producer elects to enroll 10 acres 

of land to be devoted to a riparian buffer (practice 

CP22) in a 15-year contract. The riparian buffer 

will be an average width of 70 feet. The base soil 

rental rate for the land is $35 per acre. The incentive 

payment is $42 per acre ($35 x 1.20). The annual 

maintenance payment is $5 per acre. The producer’s 

annual rental rate will be $82 per acre ($35 + $42 + 

$5), for a total annual payment of $820 ($82 x 

10 acres). The producer will receive $12,300 in 

annual rental payments over the 15-year term of the 

CRP contract. In addition, the producer will receive 

the following payments:

• A SIP of $1,000 (10 acres x $100);

• Cost-share payments from FSA equal to 

50 percent of the eligible reimbursable costs to 

install the practice;

• Cost-share payments from the Commonwealth 

of Virginia equal to 50 percent of the eligible 

reimbursable costs to install the practice;

• A PIP equal to 40 percent of the eligible 

reimbursable costs to install the practice;

• A one-time CBIP from FSA of $2,000 ($200 x 

10 acres); and

• A one-time incentive payment from the 

Commonwealth of Virginia of $750 ($75 x 

10 acres).

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A Fluvanna County producer elects to enroll 10 acres 

of land to be devoted to marginal pastureland wildlife 

habitat buffer (practice CP29) in a 15-year contract. 

The base soil rental rate for the land is $33 per acre. 

The incentive payment is $40 per acre ($33 x 1.20). 

The annual maintenance payment is $5 per acre. The 

producer’s annual rental rate will be $78 per acre 

($33 + $40 + $5), for a total annual payment of $780 

($78 x 10 acres). The producer will receive $11,700 

in annual rental payments over the 15-year term 

of the CRP contract. In addition, the producer will 

receive the following payments:

• A SIP of $1,000 (10 acres x $100);

• Cost-share payments from FSA equal to 

50 percent of the eligible reimbursable costs to 

install the practice;

• Cost-share payments from the Commonwealth 

of Virginia equal to 25 percent of the eligible 

reimbursable costs to install the practice;

• A PIP equal to 40 percent of the eligible 

reimbursable costs to install the practice; and

• A one-time incentive payment from the 

Commonwealth of Virginia of $750 ($75 x 

10 acres).

Note: The preceding are examples only.

ENROLLMENT OPTIONS

CREP is another option under CRP that farmers and 

ranchers may select to enhance their land. Eligible 

producers may still enroll land in CRP through 

general or continuous signup; however, the Virginia 

Chesapeake Bay CREP provides additional benefits 

not available through the general and/or continuous 

signup. Under the Virginia Chesapeake Bay CREP, 

producers receive higher incentive payments that 

increase the total amount of rental payments received. 

In addition, the Commonwealth of Virginia provides 

additional cost-share payments to eligible producers.

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 - Virginia Chesapeake Bay February 2017

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