The new incentives are paid for continuous CRP approved on or after April 6, 2000. The enhancements are not retroactive. Current contracts cannot be terminated and the land re-enrolled. The money doesn't resolve every complaint about buffers. Trees are still required on marginal pasture.
Some buffers require native grasses even where grass species are lush.
USDA cannot fix objections that buffers complicate farmers' lives by attracting wildlife or harboring weeds. One more fix, however, could remove the last large obstacle. It is to allow limited haying and grazing on buffers. It might improve the buffer. But Hahn doesn't consider this restriction a deal breaker for clients properly educated about buffers.