Colorado Rio Grande

Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)

Overview

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 

and the State of Colorado are partners in 

implementing a voluntary Conservation 

Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) to 

enroll up to 40,000 acres of agricultural 

land in Alamosa, Rio Grande, and Saguache 

counties within the State of Colorado. The 

Colorado Rio Grande CREP is intended to 

significantly decrease the amount of water 

consumption and reduce the quantity 

of agricultural chemicals and sediment 

that would otherwise enter the waters of 

Colorado from irrigated agricultural lands.

Background

CREP is part of the USDA Conservation 

Reserve Program (CRP). CRP is a federally 

funded voluntary program that contracts 

with agricultural producers to conserve 

environmentally sensitive agricultural land. 

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 Colorado Rio Grande CREP, 

federal and state resources are made 

available to program participants to 

voluntarily enroll in CRP for 14 to 15-year 

contracts. Participants remove irrigated 

cropland 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 Colorado Rio Grande 

CREP include:

 To reduce soil erosion by over 

500,000 tons per year;

 To establish up to 40,000 acres of 

habitat for wildlife species and native 

vegetation;

 To reduce energy consumption and 

fertilizer and pesticide application; 

and

 To restore and enhance up to 750 

acres of degraded wetlands.

Eligible Conservation 

Practices

The following specific CRP conservation 

practices are available:

 CP2, Establishment of Permanent 

Native Grasses 

 CP4D, Permanent Wildlife Habitat

 CP9, Shallow Water Areas for Wildlife

 CP23, Wetland Restoration 

 CP23A, Wetland Restoration, 

Non-Floodplain 

For More 

Information

Contact your local service 

center and USDA Farm 

Service Agency office: 

farmers.gov/servicelocator. 

Colorado State Farm 

Service Agency

PO Box 25426

Denver Federal Center, 

695 Kipling St.

BLDG. 56, RM. 2760

Denver, CO 80225-0426

Phone: (720) 544-2876

Fax: (844) 860-8238

This fact sheet is provided 

for informational purposes 

only; other restrictions or 

requirements may apply. 

Consult your local FSA office 

for details. 

MAY 2022
CREP – COLORADO RIO GRANDE 2

Enrollment 

And Eligibility 

Requirements

Enrollment in CRP through the 

Colorado Rio Grande CREP is on a 

continuous basis. To be eligible, land 

must be irrigated cropland located 

in the project area. Cropland must 

meet cropping history criteria and be 

physically and legally capable of being 

planted in a normal manner to an 

agricultural commodity. It must have 

been irrigated with ground or surface 

water at a rate of at least one-half acrefoot for the four out of six year period 

established for CRP’s general crop 

history eligibility and be associated with 

water rights that are in good standing. 

Payments

Under the Colorado Rio Grande CREP, 

eligible participants may receive the 

following payments:

 A one-time signing incentive 

payment (SIP) and practice 

incentive payment (PIP). 

 An annual rental payment based 

on the posted county irrigated 

rental rates for each eligible 

enrolled acre.

 A cost-share payment of up to 

50 percent of the eligible cost to 

install the approved conservation 

practice.

In addition, the State of Colorado 

provides direct annual payments of 

up to $66/acre/year for the life of 

the contract, as well as a one-time 

incentive payment of up to $200/acre.

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 Colorado Rio Grande 

CREP provides additional benefits 

not available through general and/or 

continuous signup. Under the Colorado 

Rio Grande 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.

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