West Virginia

Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)

Overview

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 

and the State of West Virginia are partners 

in implementing a voluntary Conservation 

Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) to 

enroll up to 9,160 acres of agricultural land 

in the Kanawha River, Little Kanawha River, 

Monongahela River, Cheat River, Potomac 

River, and Ohio River watersheds in West 

Virginia. The purpose of the West Virginia 

CREP is to take actions that will help reduce 

the occurrence of runoff, sediment, and 

nutrients from agricultural enterprises 

into the boundaries of the designated 

watersheds, and which will promote 

improved water quality and enhanced 

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 non-federal 

funds to achieve those goals.

Through the West Virginia CREP, federal 

and state resources are made available to 

program participants to voluntarily enroll 

in CRP 10-15 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 West Virginia CREP include:

• 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:

• Establishment of Permanent Introduced 

Grasses and Legumes (CP1)

• Establishment of Permanent Native 

Grasses (CP2)

• Hardwood Tree Planting (CP3A)

• Filter Strips (CP21)

• Riparian Buffer (CP22)

• Wetland Restoration (CP23)

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, contact 

your local service center and 

USDA Farm Service Agency office: 

farmers.gov/service-locator.

West Virginia State

1550 Earl L Core Rd.

Morgantown, WV 26505

Phone: (304) 284-4800

Fax: (855) 854-3076

MAY 2022 fsa.usda.gov
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. fsa.usda.gov

CONSERVATION RESERVE ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM 2

Enrollment 

and Eligibility 

Requirements

Enrollment in CRP through the West 

Virginia CREP is on a continuous basis. 

To be eligible, land must be located in 

West Virginia. 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 a 

riparian buffer planted to trees. 

Payments

Under the West Virginia 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:

◊ $100 per acre for CP21, and 

CP22;

◊ $150 per acre for CP23.

• A one-time practice incentive 

payment (PIP) equal to 40 percent of 

eligible reimbursable costs incurred 

for installation CP21, CP22, and 

CP23 practices. 

• An annual rental payment 

consisting of:

◊ A base soil rental rate, 

determined by the soils of the 

land offered

◊ An incentive payment equal 

to 100 percent, except for 

land enrolled or re-enrolled 

under infeasible-to-farm 

provisions 

◊ A maintenance incentive 

payment for CP21 and CP22 

practices in accordance with 

FSA National CRP Directives

• 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 (1) $200 per acre 

for land not previously enrolled 

in CRP; and (2) $500 per acre for 

land currently enrolled in CRP 

that is re-enrolled. This one-time 

payment is available only for 

practice CP22, located within the 

Chesapeake Bay Watershed, for 

contracts that are 14 to 15 years 

in duration. Example: 10 acres 

of land currently enrolled in CRP 

located within the Chesapeake 

Bay Watershed are re-enrolled 

in CRP to be devoted to practice 

CP22 under a 15-year contract. 

The one-time CBIP is $5,000 

($500 x 10 acres). 

• In addition, the State of West 

Virginia provides the following 

payments to eligible participants:

◊ A one-time lump-sum 

incentive payment of the 

base soil rental rate times the 

number of acres enrolled on 

land not previously enrolled in 

CRP; and 

◊ A one-time incentive payment 

in an amount equal to $40 per 

acre. This one-time payment 

is available only for practice 

CP22, located within the 

Chesapeake Bay Watershed. 

Land must be re-enrolled or 

not previously enrolled in CRP 

contracts, that are 14 to 15 

years in duration.

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 West Virginia 

CREP provides additional benefits 

not available through general and/or 

continuous signup. Under the West 

Virginia 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.