Conservation Reserve 

Enhancement Program

State of Washington

Overview

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 

and the State of Washington are partners 

in implementing a voluntary Conservation 

Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) to 

enroll up to 100,000 acres of agricultural 

land along eligible streams or waterways. 

The purpose of the Washington CREP is 

to assist in the recovery of salmon species 

that have been listed as threatened or 

endangered species under the federal 

Endangered Species Act. 

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 Washington 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 grasses, trees, or 

other approved vegetation, such as filter 

strips, riparian buffers and wetland areas. 

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 Washington CREP include:

 To reduce sediment and nutrient 

pollution from agricultural lands 

adjacent to the riparian buffers by 

more than 50 percent.

 To assist farms and ranches to meet the 

water quality requirements established 

under federal law and under 

Washington’s water quality laws.

 To establish riparian buffers on 

2,700 stream miles to permit natural 

restoration of stream hydraulic and 

geomorphic characteristics which meet 

habitat requirements of salmonoids.

Eligible Conservation 

Practices

The following specific CRP conservation 

practices are available:

 CP21, Filter Strips

 CP22, Riparian Buffer Hedgerow

 CP22, Riparian Buffer

 CP23, Wetland Restoration

 CP23A, Wetland Restoration, 

Non-Floodplain

 CP30, Marginal Pastureland 

Wetland Buffer

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. 

AUGUST 2022 WASHINGTON
CONSERVATION RESERVE ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM 2

Enrollment 

and Eligibility 

Requirements

Enrollment in CRP through the 

Washington CREP is on a continuous 

basis. To be eligible, land must be 

located in Washington. Land must 

be cropland or marginal pastureland 

that meets CRP land eligibility 

requirements. For CP22 it must be 

along an eligible stream or within 10 

stream miles for CP22 Hedgerow. 

For CP21 cropland must be in a 

Water Resource Inventory Area 

that contains eligible streams. For 

the wetland practices, the wetland 

must be hydrologically connected to 

designated streams. 

Payments

Under the Washington 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:

y $100 per acre for CP21, 

and CP22;

y $150 per acre for CP23, 

CP23A, CP30.

 A one-time practice incentive 

payment (PIP) equal to 40 

percent of eligible reimbursable 

costs incurred for installation of 

CP21, CP22, CP23, CP23A, and 

CP30. 

 An annual rental payment 

consisting of:

y A base soil rental rate, 

determined by the soils of the 

land offered

y An incentive payment as 

follows, except for land 

enrolled or re-enrolled under 

infeasible-to-farm provisions 

 10 percent for all practices 

established on land 

designated as Agricultural 

Lands of State Significance;

 50 percent for land 

established as CP21;

 75 percent for land 

established as CP22 

Hedgerow;

 100 percent for land 

established as CP22, CP23, 

CP23A and CP30

y A maintenance incentive 

payment for CP21, CP22 

and the 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.

In addition, the State of Washington 

will provide eligible participants a costshare payment of up to 10 percent 

of the practice installation, and 100 

percent of the eligible costs for annual 

maintenance of riparian buffers for up 

to 5 years from the establishment date.

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 Washington 

CREP provides additional benefits 

not available through general and/

or continuous signup. Under the 

Washington 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 is not allowed 

on acreage enrolled in the 

Washington CREP. 

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