Montana Missouri and 

Madison Rivers

Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)

Overview

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 

and the State of Montana are partners in 

implementing a voluntary Conservation 

Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) to 

enroll up to 26,000 acres of agricultural land 

in portions of the Missouri and Madison 

Rivers. The purpose of the Missouri and 

Madison River CREP is to improve water 

quality, enhance wildlife habitat and restore 

degraded wetlands along the Missouri and 

Madison Rivers. 

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 Missouri and Madison Rivers 

CREP, federal and state resources are 

made available to program participants to 

voluntarily enroll in CRP for 14 to 15-year 

contracts. Participants remove cropland 

and marginal pastureland from agricultural 

production and convert the land to grasses, 

trees, or other approved vegetation. The 

Missouri and Madison River CREP project 

area is along approximately 524 miles of 

the Missouri and Madison Rivers and their 

tributaries within a mile on either side of 

the rivers in the following counties: Blaine, 

Broadwater, Cascade, Chouteau, Fergus, 

Gallatin, Lewis and Clark, Madison, and 

Phillips. 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 Missouri and Madison Rivers 

CREP include:

• Establish, restore and improve up to 

11,000 acres of riparian buffers.

• Establish and improve up to 14,000 acres 

of permanent, native and introduced 

wildlife habitat.

• Restore up to 1,000 acres of degraded 

wetlands.

Eligible Conservation 

Practices

The following specific CRP conservation 

practices are available:

• CP1, Establishment of Permanent 

Introduced Grasses and Legumes

• CP2, Establishment of Permanent 

Native Grass

• CP4D, Permanent Wildlife Habitat

• CP9, Shallow Water Areas for Wildlife

• CP21, Filter Strips

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.

Montana State Farm Service 

Agency

10 E Babcock Street

Bozeman, MT 59715-6202

Phone: (406) 587-6872

Fax: (855) 546-0264

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

CONSERVATION RESERVE ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM 2

Eligible Conservation Practices 

Continued

• CP22, Riparian Buffer

• CP23, Wetland Restoration

• CP23A, Wetland Restoration, Non-Floodplain

• CP25, Rare and Declining Habitat (Low elevation 

grasslands)

• CP29, Marginal Pastureland Wildlife Habitat Buffer

• CP30, Marginal Pastureland Wetland Buffer

Enrollment and Eligibility 

Requirements

Enrollment in CRP through the Missouri and Madison Rivers 

CREP is on a continuous basis. To be eligible, land must be 

located in Montana. Land must be either cropland or marginal 

pastureland. Cropland must meet cropping history criteria 

according to current FSA National CRP Directives and be 

physically and legally capable of being planted in a normal 

manner to an agricultural commodity. 

Payments

Under the Montana Missouri and Madison Rivers CREP, 

eligible participants may receive the following payments:

A one-time signing incentive payment (SIP) is paid as 

follows:

◊ $10 per acre for CP21, CP22, CP29 and CP30;

◊ $15 per acre for CP23 and CP23A.

A one-time practice incentive payment (PIP) equal to 

40 percent of eligible reimbursable costs incurred for 

installation of CP9, CP21, CP22, CP23, CP23A, CP29 and 

CP30 practices. 

An annual rental payment consisting of:

◊ A base soil rental rate, determined by the soils of the 

land offered

◊ An incentive payment, as a percentage of the base 

soil rental rate as follows, except for land enrolled or 

re-enrolled under infeasible-to-farm provisions

* 20 percent for land established as dryland 

cropland;

* 40 percent for land established as irrigated 

cropland or marginal pastureland

* Weighted average of the types of land offered if 

a combination of more than one type of land is 

offered

◊ A maintenance incentive payment for CP21, CP22, 

CP29 and CP30 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.

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 Montana Missouri and Madison Rivers CREP 

provides additional benefits not available through general 

and/or continuous signup. Under the Montana Missouri and 

Madison Rivers 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.