Vermont

Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)

Overview

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 

and the State of Vermont are partners in 

implementing a voluntary Conservation 

Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) to 

enroll up to 7,500 acres of agricultural land 

within the State of Vermont. The Vermont 

CREP is intended to enhance wildlife 

habitat and reduce pollutant loading to Lake 

Champlain, the Connecticut River, Lake 

Memphremagog, and the Hudson River.

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 

one-time incentive payments, annual 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 Vermont CREP, federal and 

state resources are made available to 

program participants to voluntarily enroll in 

CRP for 10 to 15-year contracts. Participants 

remove cropland and marginal pastureland 

from agricultural production and convert 

the land to grasses, trees, or other approved 

vegetation. 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 Vermont CREP include:

 To supplement efforts to reduce nonpoint source phosphorus pollution by 

48.3 tons per year;

 To supplement efforts to reduce 

nitrogen pollution by 35 percent per 

year; and

 To provide secondary benefits to 

wildlife and aquatic habitat.

Eligible Conservation 

Practices

The following specific CRP conservation 

practices are available:

CRP Practices

CP8A Grass Waterway 

CP21 Filter Strips

CP22 Riparian Buffer

CP23 Wetland Restoration

Enrollment And 

Eligibility Requirements

Enrollment in CRP through the Vermont 

CREP is on a continuous basis. To be eligible, 

land must be located within the Lake 

Champlain Basin, Connecticut River Basin, 

Lake Memphremagog, and Hudson River 

Basin watersheds and be either cropland or 

marginal pastureland. 

For More 

Information

Contact your local service 

center and USDA Farm 

Service Agency office: 

farmers.gov/servicelocator. 

Vermont USDA Farm 

Service Agency

356 Mountain View Drive

Suite 104

Colchester, VT 05446

Phone: (802) 658-2803

Fax: (855) 794-3676

This fact sheet is provided 

for informational purposes 

only; other restrictions or 

requirements may apply. 

Consult your local FSA 

office for details. 

July 2022
CREP – VERMONT 2

Enrollment 

And Eligibility 

Requirements 

Continued

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 riparian buffer.

Payments

Under the Vermont CREP, eligible 

participants may receive the following 

payments:

 A one-time signing incentive 

payment (SIP) for enrolling 

practices CP8A, CP21, and CP22, 

to the extent and in the amount 

that SIP would normally be paid 

for such practices.

 A one-time practice incentive 

payment (PIP) for eligible 

practices.

 An annual rental payment 

consisting of normal CRP county 

cropland soil rental rates.

 A cost-share payment of up to 

50 percent of the eligible cost to 

install the approved practice.

 Maintenance payments in the 

amount that would normally be 

paid for eligible practices. 

In addition, the State of Vermont 

provides a one-time upfront payment 

of $117 per acre of land which has 

produced an annual crop at least 3 

out of the last 6 years and $53 per 

acre of land which has produced an 

annual crop fewer than 3 of the last 

6 years, and $21 per acre of marginal 

pastureland, multiplied by the number 

of years of the contract period. 

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 Vermont CREP provides additional 

benefits not available through general 

and/or continuous signup. Under the 

Vermont CREP, producers receive 

higher incentive payments and longer 

contract lengths that increase the total 

amount of rental payments received.

Haying And Grazing

Contact your local FSA office for more 

information about authorized haying 

and grazing activities.

fsa.usda.gov