Oregon’s Riparian

Enhancement Initiative

Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)

Overview

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 

and the State of Oregon are partners in 

implementing a voluntary Conservation 

Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) to 

enroll up to 100,000 acres of agricultural 

land, located along any of the following: 

streams inhabited by fish listed under 

Federal law as threatened or endangered 

species; streams where Agricultural Water 

Quality Management Plans have been 

developed, or streams on reservation 

or tribal lands. The purpose of Oregon’s 

Riparian Enhancement Initiative CREP is 

to restore 100 percent of the area enrolled 

for the riparian forest buffer practice to 

a properly functioning condition in terms 

of distribution and growth of woody plant 

species, filtration of nutrients and sediment 

from agricultural runoff, shade, and 

stabilization of stream banks under normal 

non-flood conditions. In addition, Oregon’s 

Riparian Enhancement CREP provides a way 

for farmers and ranchers to voluntarily meet 

the water quality requirements established 

under federal law and under Oregon’s 

agricultural water quality laws.

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 Oregon’s Riparian Enhancement 

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 fish and wildlife habitat in the area.

Goals

The goals of Oregon’s Riparian Enhancement 

CREP include:

• Enrollment of 100,000 acres in the

Oregon CREP.

• Restoration of up to 5,000 acres of

wetlands on cropland or marginal 

pastureland, which are either 

hydrologically connected to eligible 

streams or located in coastal estuaries.

• Targeted annual enrollment in Coastal

Basins, Columbia Basin, and Interior 

Drainages.

Eligible Conservation 

Practices

The following specific CRP conservation 

practices are available:

• CP21, Filter Strips

• CP22, Riparian Buffer Strips

• CP23, Wetland Restoration

• CP29, Marginal Pastureland Wildlife 

Habitat Buffer 

• CP30, Marginal Pastureland Wetland 

Buffer 

For More Information

For more information on this 

project, contact your local 

service center and USDA 

Farm Service Agency office: 

farmers.gov/service-locator.

Oregon State Office

Farm Service Agency

7620 SW Mohawk

Tualatin, OR 97062

(503) 692-3688

(855) 824-6185 fax

This fact sheet is provided 

for informational purposes 

only; other restrictions or 

requirements may apply. 

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

Enrollment and 

Eligibility Requirements

Enrollment in CRP through Oregon’s 

Riparian Enhancement CREP is on a 

continuous basis. To be eligible, land 

must be located in Oregon. Land 

must be either cropland or marginal 

pastureland and must be located along 

an eligible stream that contains either 

fish listed as threatened or endangered 

under federal law, be located along 

streams where Agricultural Water 

Quality Management Plans have been 

development pursuant to Oregon 

Revised Statute (ORS) 568.930 to 

568.933, or be streams on reservation 

or tribal trust lands. 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 Oregon’s Riparian Enhancement 

CREP, eligible participants may receive 

the following payments:

• A one-time signing incentive 

payment (SIP) is paid for land as 

follows: $10 times the number of 

contract acres times 10 for CP21, 

CP22, CP23, CP29, and CP30 

practices.

• A one-time practice incentive

payment (PIP) equal to 40 percent 

of eligible reimbursable costs 

incurred for installation of CP21, 

CP22, CP23, CP29, and CP30 

practices.

• An annual rental payment

consisting of:

◊ A base soil rental rate, 

determined by the soils of the 

land offered

◊ An incentive payment as a

percentage of the base soil 

rental rate as follows, except 

for land enrolled or re-enrolled 

under infeasible-to-farm 

provisions:

» 50 percent for land

established as CP22, 

CP23, CP29, and CP30

» 25 percent for land

established as CP21 

◊ A maintenance incentive

payment for CP21, CP22, 

CP23, CP29, and 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. 

• A Cumulative Impact Bonus (CIB) 

incentive payment where a total 

of 50 percent of the stream bank 

within a 5-mile stream segment 

is enrolled in CRP under CREP. 

The payment will be a one-time 

incentive payment and shall equal 

four times the applicable base year 

rental rate for each acre enrolled.

In addition, the State of Oregon will 

provide eligible participants a costshare payment of up to 25 percent of 

the practice installation cost and will 

provide both technical assistance and 

conservation planning assistance for 

Oregon’s Riparian Enhancement CREP.

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 Oregon’s 

Riparian Enhancement CREP provides 

additional benefits not available 

through general and/or continuous 

signup. Under the Oregon’s Riparian 

Enhancement 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