Murphy stated that it was only because of the assistance of the Department of Natural Resources, land conservation departments, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, UW-Extension and other organizations that the NRCS and FSA were able to handle so many applications in so little time. We had to handle three times as many offers as we have in the past, Murphy stated. Nationally, up to 36.4 million acres may be accepted into the cropland retirement program and restored to grass, trees and wildlife habitat. Currently, Wisconsin has over 740,000 acres set aside in CRP in 22,000 contracts. About half of Wisconsin contracts reach the end of their ten year commitments this Fall.
Staff also calculate the maximum rental rate appropriate for a parcel.
Staff then met with landowners, who decide whether to pursue the application based on the NRCS calculations. The information will be transmitted to Kansas City, Missouri, where the FSA office will run application data from throughout the nation to prioritize lands which provide the most conservation benefit for dollars spent. Landowners can expect to be notified if their bid has been accepted by mid-June.