Kansas

Upper Arkansas River

Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)

Overview

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 

and the State of Kansas are partners in 

implementing a voluntary Conservation 

Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) to 

enroll up to 40,000 acres of agricultural land 

within the Upper Arkansas River Basin and 

Rattlesnake Creek Sub-basin in the State 

of Kansas. The Upper Arkansas River CREP 

is intended to reduce water pollution from 

agricultural chemicals and sediment in the 

waters of Kansas in the High Plains aquifer, 

the Arkansas River, and its tributaries and 

associated alluvial aquifers. 

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 Upper Arkansas River 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 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 Upper Arkansas River 

CREP include:

• To reduce the consumption of 

groundwater for irrigation by 65,000 

acre-feet;

• To reduce the amount of soil lost to 

erosion by 150,000 tons per year; and

• To reduce annual electricity use by 

16 million kilowatt hours

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

• CP21, Filter Strips

• CP23, Wetland Restoration

• CP23A, Wetland Restoration, Nonfloodplain 

• CP43, Prairie Strips 

For More Info

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 signups; however, 

CREP may provide additional 

benefits not available through 

those signup types such as 

higher incentive payments and 

longer contract lengths that 

increase the total amount of 

rental payments received.

For more information on this 

project, contact your local 

service center and USDA 

Farm Service Agency office: 

farmers.gov/service-locator.

Kansas State Office

Farm Service Agency

3600 Anderson Avenue

Manhattan, KS 66503

Phone: (785) 539-3531

Fax: (855) 782-9609 

JUNE 2022 fsa.usda.gov
CONSERVATION RESERVE ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM 2

Enrollment 

and Eligibility 

Requirements

Enrollment in CRP through the 

Upper Arkansas River CREP is on 

a continuous basis. To be eligible, 

cropland must be located within 

Kansas and at last 51% of the cropland 

per contract must be located within 

the project area. Irrigated cropland 

must meet cropping history criteria 

and have been irrigated at least onehalf acre-foot per acre for three of the 

five years preceding its enrollment 

offer. It must be physically and legally 

able to be irrigated in a normal 

manner. Non-irrigated cropland must 

be a center-pivot corner immediately 

adjacent to the irrigated cropland 

being enrolled.

Payments

Under the Upper Arkansas River 

CREP, eligible participants may receive 

the following payments:

• A one-time signing incentive 

payment (SIP) in accordance with 

FSA National CRP directives. This 

payment is made soon after the 

contract has been approved.

• A one-time practice incentive 

payment (PIP) in accordance with 

FSA National CRP Directives. 

The PIP is equal to up to 5 

percent of eligible reimbursable 

costs incurred for installation 

of approved practices and is 

considered a cost-share payment 

subject to limitations.

• An annual rental payment 

consisting of:

◊ The weighted average of the 

non-irrigated soil rental rate 

and the irrigated cropland 

rental rate, as determined by 

CCC

◊ A maintenance incentive 

payment, if applicable, 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. 

In addition, the State of Kansas 

provides a one-time upfront payment 

equal to 13.5 percent of the per-acre 

annual rental payment times 15.

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 Upper Arkansas River 

CREP provides additional benefits 

not available through general and/or 

continuous signup. Under the Upper 

Arkansas River 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. 

This fact sheet is provided for 

informational purposes only; other 

restrictions or requirements may apply. 

Consult your local FSA office for details. 

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