New Jersey

Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)

Overview

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 

and the State of New Jersey are partnering 

to implement a voluntary Conservation 

Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) to 

enroll up to 30,000 acres of agricultural land 

in the Delaware and Wallkill Watersheds 

and the Northeast, Raritan, and Atlantic 

regions within the New Jersey CREP that 

drain toward the Atlantic Ocean. The 

purpose of the New Jersey CREP is to 

improve water quality, reduce impairment 

from agricultural non-point sources, and 

restore ecological functions of New Jersey 

streams.

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 New Jersey 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. 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 New Jersey CREP include:

• Addressing non-point source 

pollution from agricultural runoff by 

annually reducing 26,000 pounds of 

phosphorous and 7 million pounds of 

Total Suspended Solids (dirt and other 

foreign particles)

• Maintaining and restoring ecological 

functions of streams by reducing 

biological impairment and improving 

water quality

• Maintaining a high level of water 

quality in unimpaired streams through 

the prevention of additional pollutants

• Enhancing farm viability

• Establishing permanent easements to 

aid in reaching the state’s open-space 

goals

Eligible Conservation 

Practices

The following specific CRP conservation 

practices are available:

• CP8A, Grass Waterways

• CP15A, Establishment of Permanent 

Vegetative Cover (Contour Grass 

Strips) 

• CP21, Filter Strips

• CP22, Riparian Buffers

For More Information

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.

New Jersey State Office

Farm Service Agency

300 Clocktower Drive

Suite 202

Hamilton Square, NJ 08690

(609) 587-0104

(855) 305-6635 fax

AUGUST 2022 fsa.usda.gov
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. fsa.usda.gov

CONSERVATION RESERVE ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM 2

Enrollment 

and Eligibility 

Requirements

Enrollment in CRP through the New 

Jersey CREP is on a continuous basis. 

To be eligible, land must be located 

in New Jersey. Land must be either 

cropland or marginal pastureland. 

Cropland must meet cropping history 

criteria according to current FSA 

National CRP Directives and be 

physically and legally capable of being 

planted in a normal manner to an 

agricultural commodity. 

Payments

Under the New Jersey 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 enrolled in 

CP8A, CP21, and CP22 practices

• A one-time practice incentive 

payment (PIP) equal to 40 percent 

of eligible reimbursable costs 

incurred for installation of CP8A, 

CP15A, CP21, and CP22 practices

• An annual rental payment 

consisting of:

◊ A base soil rental rate, 

determined by the soils of the 

land offered

◊ An incentive payment as 

follows, except for land 

enrolled or re-enrolled under 

infeasible-to-farm provisions

• 100 percent for land 

established as a CP8A, 

CP15A, or CP21 practice 

• 150 percent for land 

established as a CP22 

practice

◊ A maintenance incentive

payment for practices CP21 

and CP22 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 New Jersey 

will provide eligible participants 

a cost-share payment of up to 10 

percent of the practice installation 

cost and offer payments to 

participants for permanent CREP 

easements through state-funded 

programs.

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 New Jersey 

CREP provides additional benefits 

not available through general and/

or continuous signup. Under the 

New Jersey 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.