Maryland Chesapeake Bay

Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)

OVERVIEW

The U.S. Department of Agriculture 

(USDA) and the State of Maryland are 

partners in implementing a voluntary 

Conservation Reserve Enhancement 

Program (CREP) to enroll up to 

100,000 acres of agricultural land in 

the State of Maryland. The purpose

of the Maryland Chesapeake Bay 

CREP is to improve water quality, 

reduce soil erosion, reduce the 

amount of sediment, phosphorous 

and other pollutants entering 

waterbodies, improve wildlife

habitat and restore wetlands.

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 Maryland Chesapeake 

Bay 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 native grasses, trees and 

other vegetation or restore wetlands. 

This will improve water quality 

by reducing soil runoff, increasing 

ground water absorption, and 

reducing stream sedimentation and 

nutrient loading from crop fields. It 

will also enhance and restore plant 

and wildlife habitat and wetlands.

GOALS

The goals of the Maryland Chesapeake 

Bay CREP include:

• Reduce nutrient pollution 

from agricultural lands 

by approximately 11.5 

million pounds of nitrogen 

and 1.1 million pounds of 

phosphorus, on an annual 

basis. To increase surface 

and groundwater retention.

• Reduce sediment loading into 

streams from agricultural lands 

of approximately 200,000 tons 

of sediment, on an annual basis.

• Increase the survivability, 

distribution and abundance 

of targeted fish, wildlife and 

plant species in the Chesapeake 

region. Emphasis for Rare and 

Declining Species Habitat 

enrollments will be given to high 

priority species listed under 

the North American Waterfowl 

Management Plan and state 

and federally-listed threatened 

or endangered species such 

as bald eagles, Delmarva fox 

squirrel, Eastern bog turtle, 

dwarf wedge mussel, glassy 

darter and harparella.

STAY 

CONNECTED

CREP is one option 

under CRP that 

farmers and ranchers 

may select to 

enhance their land. 

Eligible producers 

may also enroll land 

in CRP through the 

general, continuous, 

or grassland sign-ups; 

however, CREP may 

provide additional 

benefits not available 

through those 

sign-up types such 

as higher incentive 

payments and longer 

contract lengths that 

increase the total 

amount of rental 

payments received. 

Maryland State

Farm Service Agency

339 Busch’s Frontage Rd.

Suite 104

Annapolis, MD

21409-5561

Phone: (443) 482-2760

Fax: (855) 401-6638

For more information on 

this project, contact your 

local service center and 

USDA Farm Service

Agency office:

farmers.gov/service-locator 

SEPTEMBER 2022 Maryland
CREP - MARYLAND 2

ELIGIBLE CONSERVATION 

PRACTICES

The following specific CRP 

conservation practices are available for 

cropland, unless otherwise indicated:

 CP1, Establishment of 

Introduced Grasses and 

Legumes

 CP2, Establishment of 

Permanent Native Grasses

 CP3, Tree Planting

 CP3A, Hardwood Tree 

Planting

 CP4D, Permanent Wildlife 

Habitat

 CP9, Shallow Water Areas 

for Wildlife

 CP21, Filter Strips

 CP22, Riparian Buffer 

(cropland and marginal 

pastureland)

 CP23,Wetland 

Restoration

 CP23A,Wetland 

Restoration, NonFloodplain

 CP25, Rare and Declining 

Habitat

 CP29, Marginal 

Pastureland Wildlife 

Habitat Buffer (marginal 

pastureland only)

 CP30, Marginal Pastureland 

Wetland Buffer (marginal 

pastureland only)

ENROLLMENT AND

ELIGIBILITY 

REQUIREMENTS

Enrollment for the Maryland 

Chesapeake Bay CREP is on a 

continuous basis. To be eligible, 

land must be physically located 

within the state of Maryland 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 along 

streams may also be eligible for 

enrollment. Land adjacent to 

channelized intermittent streams 

and infield constructed drainage 

ditches may also be eligible if 

devoted to a grass filter strip.

PAYMENTS

Under the Maryland Chesapeake 

Bay 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: A base soil rental rate, 

determined by the soils of the 

land offered

◊ $100 per acre for 

CP9, CP21, CP22, 

CP29 and CP30

◊ $150 per acre for 

CP23 and CP23A

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

 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.

 An annual rental payment 

consisting of:

◊ A base soil rental rate, 

determined by the three 

predominant soils of the 

land offered

◊ An incentive payment, as 

a percentage of the based 

soil rental rate, based on the 

practice offered except for land 

enrolled or re-enrolled under 

infeasible-to-farm provisions.

◊ 80 percent for land 

established as CP1, CP2, 

CP3, CP3A, and CP4D 

(Highly Erodible Land)

◊ 100 percent for land 

established as CP9, CP29, 

and CP30

◊ 150 percent for land 

established to CP4D

(Buffer), CP21, and CP25

◊ 200 percent for land 

established to CP22, CP23, 

and CP23A

◊ A maintenance incentive 

payment determined by the 

practice offered.

• A cost-share payment of up to 

50 percent of the eligible cost to 

install the approved practice.
CREP - MARYLAND 3

In addition, the State of Maryland 

provides the following payments to 

eligible participants:

 A one-time state incentive 

program payment of $100 

per acre for every acre 

enrolled or re-enrolled;

 A cost-share payment of

37.5 percent of the eligible 

reimbursable cost to 

install practices CP1, CP2, 

CP3, CP3A, CP21, CP22, 

CP23, CP23A and CP30; 

and

 All costs associated with 

the purchase of voluntary 

permanent easements.

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

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 Maryland 

Chesapeake Bay CREP provides 

additional benefits not available 

through general and/or continuous 

signup. Under the Maryland 

Chesapeake Bay CREP, producers 

receive higher incentive payments 

and longer contract lengths that 

increase the total amount of rental 

payments received.

HAYING AND 

GRAZING

Haying and grazing are not allowed 

during the CRP contract period 

unless authorized by USDA. 

Contact your local FSA office for 

more information about authorized 

haying and grazing activities.