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Farm Service Agency

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FSA in conjunction with our partners, hosts a series of webinars introducing important questions about how CRP and CRP practices effect environmental benefits and providing the results of studies monitoring and assessing the CRP and CRP practices. Past webinars are recorded and are available for viewing at the links below. Upcoming webinars are posted as they are scheduled.

To sign up to receive announcements of upcoming webinars, email fsaoutreach@usda.gov.

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## Upcoming CRP Webinars

To Be Announced

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## **Archived Webinars**

**March 2024 CRP Outcomes Webinar: Opportunities to enhance carbon storage and climate benefits of the Conservation Reserve Program**

*Wednesday, March 6, 2024, 3:00 - 4:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)***Presenters: Seth A. Spawn-Lee and Tyler J. Lark, University of Wisconsin-Madison**

**Project Abstract**: The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), created in 1985 and administered by USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA), is one of the largest private-lands conservation programs in the United States and could thereby meaningfully advance national goals to increase climate change mitigation by enhancing natural carbon sinks. While lands are currently targeted for enrollment for their ability to sequester and store carbon, an additional shift towards prioritizing this potential might enhance the program’s climate mitigation outcomes. We assessed all active CRP contracts in 2020 to determine whether and how the geography of these enrollments affected the program's soil carbon storage capacity. We found opportunities for CRP lands to store even more carbon than present that could be explored further alongside other program enrollment and eligibility considerations. These findings include further examining lands’ potential contributions to carbon storage and/or sequestration and further prioritizing when ranking and selecting certain lands for enrollment. 

In addition to the CRP’s soil carbon storage potential, we looked at how enrolled lands might annually support megaton-scale biomass production that, if harvested, might further enhance the program's net climate change mitigation benefits depending on their use. To explore the potential effects of such management, we will share notional estimates of currently enrolled lands’ biomass productivity, the potential of this biomass to displace other feedstocks or emissions (e.g., via bioenergy), and how harvest of this biomass might affect soil carbon sequestration rates.

Collectively, the results suggest that the CRP, as currently administered, gives rise to significant climate benefits and even more opportunities exist to further increase these contributions. Presenters will discuss some of these opportunities and the trade-offs they might provoke.

**View Recording Passcode: $DEO0T1b | View Presentation Slides | View Presentation Summary**

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#### **September 2023 CRP Outcomes Webinar:*****Understanding Factors Affecting the Participation of Underserved Landowners in the Conservation Reserve Program in the Southern United States - Progress and Preliminary Results***

Monday, Sept. 18, 2023, at 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm Eastern Time****

**Presenter: Dr. Puneet Dwivedi, Associate Professor (Sustainability Sciences), Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia, Athens, GA**

**Project Abstract:**Only a tiny portion of currently enrolled underserved landowners are a small percentage of all the land enrolled in the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) nationwide. To achieve the objectives of environmental justice and to meet the standards of the Justice40 program, we need to increase the participation of underserved landowners in CRP. However, a limited understanding of the issues faced by underserved landowners is adversely affecting their participation in CRP and restricting options for improving policy prescriptions. In this context, our project aims to develop a nuanced understanding of the challenges faced by underserved landowners and to formulate solutions for overcoming barriers to increase their participation in CRP. As a part of the webinar, Dr. Dwivedi will deliberate upon the achievements of the latest project supported by the USDA-FSA (starting October of 2022), specifically focusing on landowner outreach workshops across six southern states, ongoing mail survey, development of an online outreach and educational tool, and planned in-person interviews of various stakeholder groups, including landowners. He will also present initial research findings based on literature synthesis and the data collected during the landowner outreach workshops focusing on issues affecting underserved landowners' participation in the CRP across the southern states.

Dr. Puneet Dwivedi is an Associate Professor (Sustainability Science) at the University of Georgia Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. His specialization includes characterizing the decision-making of family rural landowners, modeling ecosystem services, and sustainable bioenergy development. He has published 115 refereed articles in high-impact journals and secured funding of several million dollars to support his research lab at the University of Georgia.

**Recording**

**Passcode: G&gLy9L#**

**Presentation Slides** (pdf)

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#### **August 2023 CRP Outcomes Webinar: *Payments for Ecosystem Services Programs and Climate Change Adaptation in Agriculture***

Thursday, August 17, 2023, 2:00 to 3:00 pm Eastern Time

**Presenter: Youngho Kim, University of Maryland - College Park**

**Project Abstract:** Payments for ecosystem services (PES) programs can enhance long-term crop resilience to extreme weather events in agriculture by establishing nature-based infrastructure, such as forests and wetlands.  This paper empirically examines whether and to what extent the introduction of the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) in the United States mitigated flooded crop loss through restoration of riparian buffers and wetlands.  Synthetic control estimates indicate that, on average, CREP reduced the number of flooded crop acres by 39 percent and mitigated the extent of losses on flooded acres by 27 percent during the first 11 years of program implementation.  A back-of-the-envelope calculation suggests that the conservation investments made through CREP protected an estimated total of 900,000 crop acres from flooding and generated financial spillover effects on the federal crop insurance program, saving $73 million in indemnity payouts that would have been paid to insured farmers in the absence of CREP during the same period.  The loss mitigation benefits vary spatially and temporally depending on the duration of program availability, the extent of program participation, and the adoption of alternative loss mitigation strategies.  Overall, these findings provide empirical evidence supporting the efficacy of nature-based solutions for climate change adaptation.

**RecordingPasscode: %Lt0WvB&Presentation Slides**

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**CRP Outcomes December 2022 Webinar - The habitat quality of CP43: Prairie Strips and other conservation features for birds in Corn Belt agricultural landscapes**

Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022, 3:00 - 4:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

**Presenters: Lisa Schulte Moore, Jordan Giese, Matt Stephenson and Robert Klaver**

The USDA Conservation Reserve Program and other programs seek to address population declines among grassland wildlife species in working landscapes of the US along with soil and water quality outcomes. To inform program implementation, the team investigated the environmental variables driving bird occupancy and passerine nest success in extensively row cropped landscapes of Iowa. The researchers provide evidence that vegetation diversity had positive effects on bird presence and/or reproductive success, and that habitat configuration remains an important predictor of breeding bird demographic parameters even after accounting for habitat acres on the landscape. Research further found that terraces and contour strips composed of cool-season grasses may be population sinks or ecological traps for grassland breeding passerines in the landscapes studied. While prairie contour strips (e.g., CP43) offered similar reproductive success to larger patches of restored prairie, larger tracts of grassland habitat are still necessary to support area-sensitive species.

Presenter, Dr. Lisa Schulte Moore, is a professor in the Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management and co-director of the Bioeconomy Institute at Iowa State University. She conducts research and teaches in the areas of agriculture, ecology, forestry and human-landscape interactions. Her research addresses the integration of continuous living cover into agricultural landscapes to support new markets and to meet societal goals for clean water, healthy soils, abundant wildlife and inspiring recreational opportunities. Dr. Schulte Moore is co-founder of the **Science-based Trials of Rowcrops Integrated with Prairie Strips (STRIPS) project**, which strives more fully understand the assembly, management, function, and value of prairie strips. A full bio can be found here: https://www.nrem.iastate.edu/people/lisa-schulte-moore.

**Recording**

**Presentation Slides**

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**CRP Outcomes July 2022 Webinar: Using Remote Sensing and Machine Learning to Map Vegetation on Conservation Reserve Program Lands**

Thursday, July 14, 2022, 3:00 - 4:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

**Presenter: Rebecca Degagne, Senior Geospatial Scientist, Conservation Biology Institute**

The Conservation Biology Institute (CBI) will make a presentation on recent work using the latest remote sensing imagery, machine learning, and the best available training data to characterize vegetation on Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) lands. A rich suite of enviro-climatic data, multiple sources of satellite imagery, and machine learning modeling techniques were deployed on the cloud-computing platform, Google Earth Engine, to maximize the accuracy of predicting land cover for study areas in Washington, Colorado, and Kansas, where CRP Grasslands holdings are most prevalent. A full report of this work can be read at: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.19141853.v1.

In a parallel project focused on mapping forested CRPs in Mississippi, CBI developed predictive maps of tree height, tree density, biomass, basal area, and forest type using Random Forest modeling. Numerous satellite-derived indices from the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 sensors, in addition to soils and topography data, were used as predictor inputs. We then refined these predictive models to increase accuracy by incorporating preliminary data products derived from NASA’s spaceborne LiDAR mission - the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI). A full report of this work can be read at: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.19142147.  

Preliminary vegetation cover predictions from CBI’s work have been integrated into an easy-to-use online tool, which allows CRP managers and landowners to view, filter, compare, and summarize information relevant for assessing CRP tracts in the study areas. This baseline information can be a foundation for quantitatively measuring the success of conservation practices over time and guiding strategic management actions.

**Webinar Recording Link** (password: **i8ra0c3%**)

**Slides**

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**CRP Outcomes May 2022 Webinar: Scaling Saturated Buffer Adoption using the Agricultural Conservation Planning Framework**

Thursday, May 19, 2022, 3:00 - 4:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

**Presenter: Keegan Kult, Executive Director of the Agricultural Drainage Management Coalition**

Traditional conservation practice delivery is not equipped to handle the demands of scaled-up implementation needed to meet regional nutrient reduction goals. As evidenced by the low adoption rates to date, this is especially true for practices that require technical knowledge like Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Saturated Buffers. While little work has been done to assess the barriers to adoption from a farmer or landowner’s perspective, experienced practitioners in central Iowa sought to develop a new practice delivery framework that would address as many stakeholder barriers to adoption as possible through the Polk County Saturated Buffer Project. **Keegan Kult**, Executive Director of the Agricultural Drainage Management Coalition, will discuss piloting a systematic approach to modernize agricultural drainage infrastructure with the goal of accelerating conservation drainage practice adoption within the confines of existing technical and financial assistance programs.

Webinar Recording Link (Temporarily Unavailable)

**CRP Outcomes February 2022 Webinar: Providing Pollinator Habitat on Western Conservation Reserve Program Lands**

Tuesday, February 22, 2022, 3:00 - 4:00 PM ET

**Presenters: Matthew J. Rinella & Lauren M. Porensky, USDA Agricultural Research Service**

Pollinator insects are in decline, partly due to lack of flowering plants they rely on as food.  In this study, we measured flowering plant cover as well as variables hypothesized to control this cover in 120 Conservation Reserve Program fields.  Statistical analysis of these measurements identified several factors that control flowering plant abundances.  Flowering plants were absent from all measurement locations in 28 fields.  Applying certain herbicides <90 days prior to seeding reduced flowering plant cover and the probability flowering plants were present.  Presence probability and cover also declined with increasing weed density and grass seed rate, and cover increased with flowering plant seed rate.  Flowering plant species differed widely in their probability of being present.  These findings suggest practical steps for managing fields and designing seed mixes to increase food supplies for pollinator insects. (Contributors: Matthew J. Rinella, Lauren M. Porensky, Susan S. Bellows, Jeanne M. Knox, and Emily P. Metier)

Webinar Recording Link (Temporarily Unavailable)

Slides

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## 2021 CRP Webinars 

**CRP Outcomes Webinar:  The Enduring Benefits of the Conservation Reserve Program** - *Evaluating the Persistence of Expired CRP Fields Across the Central and Western US*

Wednesday, October 20, 2021  2:00 - 3:00 p.m .ET

**Presenter:  Mark Vandever, U.S. Geological Survey**

US Geological Survey Fort Collins Science Center rangeland management specialist Mark Vandever will present results from his national level assessment comparing vegetation and erosional characteristics in enrolled and expired CRP fields across 14 states. The presentation will outline information needed for USDA and resource managers to help understand the extent to which expired CRP fields postpone or cease conversion back to cropland. Benefits derived from persisting CRP covers will be discussed, suggesting enduring benefits exist post-CRP and commensurate with USDA program goals. 

Webinar Recording Link (Temporarily Unavailable)

**September 2021 Webinar:  What makes good pollinator habitat?***Considerations of flower preference, seed cost, and establishment rates.*

Wednesday, September 1, 2:00-3:00 p.m. ET

**Presenters:  Clint Otto and Stacy Simanonok, U.S. Geological Survey**

What makes good pollinator habitat? Many seed mix recommendations for pollinator habitat can be based on anecdotal evidence or field observations of bees visiting forbs. However, there is limited information on which forbs are preferred or selected by bees. Furthermore, little is known about which forbs successfully establish on private lands enrolled in US Department of Agriculture (USDA) conservation programs and the potential pollinator value of those forbs. Researchers from USGS will discuss their analysis of floral selection by wild bees and honey bees on grasslands in the upper Midwest using a 5-year dataset containing over 8,000 plant-bee interactions.

The top forbs selected by each bee group will be discussed and differences in selection of native versus non-native forbs. By obtaining the original seed mixes of specific USDA enrollments, researchers were able to assess the most cost-effective forbs (i.e., species with the highest establishment rates and lowest cost). Pairing forb preference data with establishment research and monetary cost can assist natural resource managers with designing more cost-effective seed mixes for pollinators, while maximizing investment in federal conservation programs.

Webinar Recording (Temporarily Unavailable)

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## 2018 CRP Webinars 

**Interseeding: Bringing Flower Diversity Back to CRP Grasslands for the Benefit of Pollinators** – Rae Powers (Farm Bill Pollinator Conservation Planner, Nebraska), Mace Vaughan (Pollinator Conservation Program Co-Director (Xerces) and Joint Pollinator Conservation Specialist, USDA-NRCS West National Technology Support Center) - **July 19, 2018**

Access a recording of this webinar here.

Access a slide show here (PDF, 6 MB)

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**Summarizing the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Riparian Forest Buffer Survey** – Skip Hyberg (FSA), Don English (US Forest Service) and Rich Iovanna (FSA) - **May 24, 2018**

Access a recording of this webinar here.

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**VA CREP Site Visit** – Peter Kleinman (Agricultural Research Service) - **April 30, 2018**

Access a recording of this webinar here.

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**MD CREP Site Visit** – Peter Kleinman (Agricultural Research Service) - **February 20, 2018**

Access a recording of this webinar here.

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## 2017 CRP Webinars 

**Optimizing Retention and Placement of Conservation Reserve Program Grasslands in the Northern Great Plains for Grassland Birds -** Sean Fields (USFWS), Kevin Barnes (USFWS), Neal Niemuth (USFWS), Rich Iovanna (FSA), Adam Ryba (USFWS), and Pamela Moore (USFWS) -**November 2, 2017**

Access a recording of this webinar here.

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**CRP Benefits for Honey Bees near MI and WI Orchards** – Rufus Isaacs (Michigan State University) - **July 13, 2017**

Access a recording of this webinar here.

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**CRP Cover Conditions and Legacy in the Great Plains** – Mark Vandever, Steve Assal, and Sarah Carter (USGS - Ft. Collins) - **June 22, 2017**

Access a recording of this webinar here.

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**CRP Riparian Buffer Effectiveness in the Chesapeake Bay** – Peter Kleinman, Rob Brooks, Greg McCarty, Tamie Veith, and Carlington Wallace (ARS) - **June 15, 2017**

Access a recording of this webinar here.

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**CRP Benefits for Honey Bees and Other Pollinators in the Northern Plains** – Clint Otto and Matthew Smart (USGS - NPWRC) - **May 30, 2017**

Access a recording of this webinar here.

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**Iowa Prairie Strips Project – Benefits for Pollinators, Grassland Birds and Water Quality** – Mary Harris, Matt Helmers, and Lisa Schulte-Moore (Iowa State University) - **May 25, 2017**

Access a recording of this webinar here.

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**Saturated Buffer Effectiveness** – Dan Jaynes (ARS) and Steve Baker (Agricultural Drainage Management Coalition) - **April 27, 2017**

Access a recording of this webinar here.

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