Conservation Reserve 

Enhancement Program 

Indiana

Overview

The U.S. Department of Agriculture 

(USDA) and the State of Indiana are 

partners in implementing a voluntary 

Conservation Reserve Enhancement 

Program (CREP) to enroll up to 26,250 

acres of agricultural land in 11 designated 

watersheds in the Wabash and White 

River systems, including the Tippecanoe, 

Upper White River, Highland/Pigeon, 

Upper Wabash, Middle Wabash-Deer, 

Middle Wabash-Little Vermillion, Middle 

Wabash-Busseron, Lower Wabash, Lower 

White, Lower East Fork White and the 

Upper East Fork White watersheds. 

The purpose of the Indiana CREP is 

to improve water quality by reducing 

sediment and nutrient runoff and 

enhance wildlife habitats. 

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 nonfederal funds to achieve those goals.

Through the Indiana CREP, federal and 

state resources are made available to 

program participants to voluntarily 

enroll in CRP for 14 to 15-year contracts. 

Participants remove sensitive and 

frequently flooded croplands from 

agricultural production and convert the 

land to grasses, trees, or other approved 

vegetation, such as filter strips, riparian 

buffers, and wetland areas to assist in 

erosion control, sediment reduction, 

water retention, and nutrient uptake. 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 Indiana CREP include:

 protect a minimum of 3,000 linear 

miles of watercourses through the 

installation of buffer practices,

 reduce the amount of sediment, 

phosphorus, and nitrogen entering 

rivers and streams in the designated 

watersheds by 2,450 tons/year 

of sediment, 2,400 lbs./year of 

phosphorus, and 4,700 lbs./year 

of nitrogen, and

 increase the acres of wetlands in 

the watersheds for erosion control, 

sediment reduction, stormwater 

retention, and nutrient uptake.

More Information

Consult your local FSA 

office for details. For 

more information, contact 

your local service center 

and USDA Farm Service 

Agency office: 

farmers.gov/service-locator. 

Indiana State Farm 

Service Agency

5981 Lakeside Blvd

Indianapolis, IN 46278

Phone: (317) 290-3315

Fax: (855) 374-4066 

This fact sheet is provided 

for informational purposes 

only; other restrictions or 

requirements may apply. 

MAY 2022 INDIANA
CONSERVATION RESERVE ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM - INDIANA 2

Eligible Conservation 

Practices

The following specific CRP 

conservation practices are available 

under the Indiana CREP:

 CP2, Establishment of Permanent 

Native Grasses

 CP3A, Hardwood Tree Planting 

 CP4D, Permanent 

Wildlife Habitat

 CP21, Filter Strips

 CP22, Riparian Buffer

 CP23, Wetland Restoration

 CP23A, Wetland Restoration, 

Non-Floodplain

 CP31, Bottomland Timber 

Establishment on Wetlands

Enrollment 

and Eligibility 

Requirements

Enrollment in CRP through the Indiana 

CREP is on a continuous basis. To 

be eligible, land must be located in 

Indiana. Land must be cropland that 

meets CRP land eligibility criteria to 

be eligible for enrollment and must be 

located adjacent to a body of water or 

located in the floodplain. 

Payments

Under the Indiana CREP, eligible 

participants may receive the 

following payments:

 A one-time signing incentive 

payment (SIP) is paid in 

accordance with FSA National 

CRP Directives for land 

as follows: 

y $100 per acre for CP21, CP22, 

& CP31

y $150 per acre for CP23 & 

CP23A

 A one-time practice incentive 

payment (PIP) equal to 40% of 

the total eligible cost of practice 

installation for CP21, CP22, 

CP23, CP23A, and CP31. 

 An annual rental payment 

consisting of:

y A base soil rental rate, 

determined by the soils of the 

land offered

y An incentive payment equal 

to 40% of the base rental 

rate without regard to 

other incentive payments, 

except for land enrolled or 

re-enrolled under infeasibleto-farm provisions 

y A maintenance incentive 

payment for practices in 

accordance with FSA National 

CRP Directives, if applicable. 

 A cost-share payment of up to 

50 percent of the eligible cost to 

install the approved practice.

In addition, Indiana will offer the 

following payments after the practice 

is established:

 A one-time Clean Water Indiana 

incentive payment of $100/acre 

for CP2, CP4D, and CP21.

 A one-time Clean Water Indiana 

incentive payment of $400/acre 

for CP3A, CP22, and CP31.

 A one-time Clean Water Indiana 

incentive payment of $950/

acre for newly enrolled CP23 

and CP23A.

 A one-time Clean Water Indiana 

incentive payment of $400/acre 

for re-enrolled CP23 and CP23A.

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 Indiana CREP provides additional 

benefits not available through general 

and/or continuous signup. Under 

the Indiana 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.

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