South Dakota Big Sioux 

River Watershed

Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)

Overview

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 

and the State of South Dakota are partners 

in implementing a voluntary Conservation 

Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) to 

improve water quality, reduce soil erosion, 

enhance wildlife habitat, and create public 

hunting and fishing access. This South 

Dakota Big Sioux River Watershed CREP is 

focusing on enrolling up to 25,000 acres of 

agricultural land in Brookings, Clark, Clay, 

Codington, Day, Deuel, Grant, Hamlin, 

Kingsbury, Lake, Lincoln, Marshall, McCook, 

Minnehaha, Moody, Roberts, Turner, and 

Union counties.

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.

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 South Dakota Big Sioux 

River Watershed 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 South Dakota Big Sioux 

River Watershed CREP include:

• Establishment of 1,500 acres of 

permanent vegetative cover adjacent to 

rivers and streams;

• Reduce the amount of sediment, 

nutrients, and nitrogen entering 

waterbodies;

• Produce an additional 71,250 

pheasants annually;

• Contribute an additional 15,000 ducks 

annually;

• Open 250 40-acre blocks to public 

hunting and fishing; and

• Create 25,000 acres of permanent 

vegetative cover by restoring wetlands 

and grasslands to store water and serve 

as breeding habitat for migratory and 

resident wildlife.

Eligible Conservation 

Practices

The following specific CRP conservation 

practices are available:

• CP4D, Permanent Wildlife Habitat

• CP21, Filter Strips

• CP23, Wetland Restoration

• CP23A, Wetland Restoration, NonFloodplain

• CP25, Rare and Declining Habitat

• CP29, Marginal Pastureland Wildlife 

Habitat Buffer

South Dakota State FSA Office

200 Fourth St. SW

Room 308

Huron, SD 57350

Phone: (605) 352-1160

Fax: (855) 243-6003

For More Information

This fact sheet is provided 

for informational purposes 

only; other restrictions or 

requirements may apply. 

Consult your local FSA office 

for details.

For more information on this 

project, contact your local 

service center and USDA 

Farm Service Agency office: 

farmers.gov/service-locator.

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 South Dakota 

Big Sioux River Watershed 

CREP provides additional 

benefits not available through 

general and/or continuous 

signup. Under the South 

Dakota Big Sioux River 

Watershed CREP, producers 

receive higher incentive 

payments that increase 

the total amount of rental 

payments received and all 

land enrolled is open to public 

hunting and fishing access.

OCTOBER 2022 fsa.usda.gov
CONSERVATION RESERVE ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM 2

• CP30, Marginal Pastureland 

Wetland Buffer

• CP37, Duck Nesting Habitat

• CP43, Prairie Strips

Enrollment 

and Eligibility 

Requirements

Enrollment in CRP through the South 

Dakota Big Sioux River Watershed 

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 is also eligible for 

enrollment provided it is suitable for 

use as an eligible wildlife habitat or 

wetland buffer.

Payments

Under the South Dakota Big Sioux 

River Watershed CREP, eligible 

participants may receive the following 

payments:

• A one-time signing incentive 

payment (SIP) for enrolling practice 

CP21, CP23, CP23A, CP29, CP30, 

CP37, and CP43, in an amount 

equal to 32.5 percent of the first 

annual rental payment for such 

practice.

• A one-time practice incentive 

payment (PIP) for installing 

practice CP21, CP23, CP23A, 

CP29, CP30, and CP37. The 

PIP is equal to up to 50 percent 

of eligible reimbursable costs 

incurred for installation of 

the approved practice and is 

considered a cost-share payment 

subject to limitations.

• A cost-share payment of up to 

50 percent of the eligible cost to 

install the approved practice.

• An annual rental payment 

consisting of.

◊ A base soil rental rate, 

determined by the soils of the 

land offered;

◊ An climate smart incentive 

payment, as a percentage of 

the base soil rental rate, of 5 

percent;

◊ An incentive payment, as a 

percentage of the base soil 

rental rate, of 20 percent for 

all practices except CP4D; and

◊ A maintenance payment, 

determined by the practice 

offered.

In addition, the State of South Dakota 

will provide an annual payment in an 

amount equal to 34 percent of the 

base soil rental rate.

Haying and Grazing

Contact your local FSA office for more 

information about authorized haying 

and grazing activities.

Eligible Conservation 

Practices continued

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