Conservation Reserve 

Program (CRP)

Overview

USDA Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) 

Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is 

a voluntary program that contracts with 

agricultural producers so environmentally 

sensitive agricultural land is not farmed 

or ranched, but instead devoted to 

conservation benefits. CRP participants 

establish long-term, 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, FSA provides 

participants with rental payments and 

cost-share assistance. Contract duration is 

between 10 and 15 years.

CRP is authorized by the Food Security 

Act of 1985 and was reauthorized by the 

Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 

(the 2018 Farm Bill). The 2018 Farm Bill 

was extended by the Further Continuing 

Appropriations and Other Extensions 

Act, 2024 (Pub. L. 118-22). The program 

is also governed by regulations published 

in 7 CFR, part 1410. The program is 

implemented by FSA on behalf of USDA’s 

Commodity Credit Corporation.

Program Administration 

FSA administers CRP while technical 

support functions are provided by: USDA’s 

Natural Resources Conservation Service 

(NRCS); State forestry agencies; Local soil 

and water conservation districts and; nonfederal technical service providers.

Benefits 

CRP protects more than 20 million acres 

of American topsoil from erosion and is 

designed to safeguard the nation’s natural 

resources. By reducing water runoff and 

sedimentation, CRP protects groundwater 

and helps improve the condition of lakes, 

rivers, ponds and streams. CRP is also a 

major contributor to increased wildlife 

populations in many parts of the country. 

General CRP Enrollment

Producers have the opportunity to offer land 

for general CRP enrollment annually during 

announced enrollment periods. Offers for 

CRP contracts are ranked according to the 

Environmental Benefits Index (EBI). FSA uses the 

following EBI factors to assess the environmental 

benefits for the land offered:

• Wildlife habitat benefits resulting from covers 

on contract acres;

• Water quality benefits from reduced erosion, 

runoff and leaching;

• On-farm benefits from reduced erosion;

• Benefits that will likely endure beyond the 

contract period;

• Air quality benefits from reduced wind 

erosion and;

• Cost.

Further information on general CRP signup is 

available in the FSA fact sheet “Conservation 

Reserve Program General Signup.”

Continuous CRP Enrollment

Under continuous CRP enrollment, environmentally 

sensitive land devoted to certain conservation 

practices may be enrolled in CRP at any time. 

Certain eligibility requirements still apply, but offers 

are not subject to competitive bidding. Further 

information on continuous CRP enrollments is 

available in the FSA fact sheet “Conservation 

Reserve Program Continuous Enrollment.”

Grasslands Enrollment

Grasslands CRP helps landowners and operators 

protect grassland, including rangeland, and 

pastureland, and certain other lands, while 

maintaining the areas as grazing lands. The 

program emphasizes support for grazing 

operations, plant and animal biodiversity, and 

grassland and land containing shrubs and forbs 

under the greatest threat of conversion. Further 

information on Grassland CRP enrollments is 

available in the FSA fact sheet “Conservation 

Reserve Program Grassland.”

For More Info

This fact sheet is provided for 

informational purposes only;

other restrictions may apply. 

For details, contact your local

FSA office. To find your local 

FSA office, contact your

local service center and USDA 

Farm Service Agency office: 

farmers.gov/service-locator.

MARCH 2024 fsa.usda.gov
CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM 2

Who is Eligible?

A producer must have owned or operated the land for at least 12 months prior to submitting the offer for 

continuous or 12 months before the close of general or grassland signup, unless:

• The new owner acquired the land due to the previous owner’s death;

• The ownership change occurred due to foreclosure where the owner exercised a timely right of redemption 

in accordance with state law or;

• The circumstances of the acquisition present adequate assurance to FSA that the new owner did not acquire 

the land for the purpose of placing it in CRP. 

Eligible Land 

Both continuous CRP and general CRP require cropland, land to be planted or considered planted to an 

agricultural commodity for four of six crop years from 2012 to 2017, and be physically and legally capable of 

being planted (no planting restrictions due to an easement or other legally binding instrument) in a normal 

manner to an agricultural commodity.

For general signup, land also must meet one of the following criteria:

• Have a weighted average erosion index of eight or higher;

• Be enrolled in a CRP contract that expires Sept. 30 or;

• Be located in a national or state conservation CRP priority area. Marginal pasture land may also be eligible for

continuous signup. 

Grasslands CRP has alternative requirements for eligible land.

Payments

FSA provides CRP participants with annual rental payments, as well as certain incentive payments and 

costshare assistance.

In return for establishing long-term, resource-conserving covers, FSA provides annual rental payments to 

participants. FSA bases rental rates on the relative productivity of the soils within each county and the average 

cash rent using data provided by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). The soil rental rates are 

subject to an 85 percent proration for general signup and a 90 percent proration for continuous signup. The 

maximum CRP rental rate for each offer is calculated in advance of enrollment. Producers may offer land at 

that rate or offer a lower rental rate. CRP grasslands rates are based on 75 percent of the NASS pasture rate.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. fsa.usda.gov