Enrolling in the Conservation Reserve Program is a great way to restore soil health while still earning money on your land. As if that weren’t enough incentive, CRP also greatly benefits local water supplies and wildlife.
Within CRP, however, there are actually a number of conservation practices (practices) to choose from. These determine the general focus, seed mix selection, and more. Choosing the best practice for your land depends on a few factors, including your location, the condition of the land, environmental goals, and more.
Before you select a specific practice, it’s best to understand the broader programs that they fall under.
General CRP
Many practices are available under what’s called general CRP.
Signup for general CRP is typically available during specified enrollment periods. Enrollment is determined through a bidding system where your land is ranked against the other people applying.
Ranking is determined by the Environmental Benefits Index, or EBI. Factors for determining your rank include wildlife benefits, water quality benefits, general cost, soil retention, and more. Selecting the right practice can also help improve your score and increase the chances of your bid being chosen.
General CRP enrollment just reopened on December 9th and will remain open until February 28, 2020.
CREP and Continuous CRP
Additional practices fall under CREP and Continuous CRP. While these programs are very similar to general CRP, there are some key differences. For starters, both specifically target environmentally sensitive land. Also, unlike general CRP, these programs don’t operate under a bidding process. Instead, enrollment operates on a first come, first serve basis.
If enrollment is open, and your land meets the necessary requirements, you are accepted into the program.
The primary difference between the CREP and Continuous CRP is that CREP is run through a joint venture between the federal government and select state governments.
These are states with CREP programs:
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Delaware
- Florida
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Nebraska
- New Jersey
- New York
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- South Dakota
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
If you don’t live in one of those states, or CREP enrollment isn’t open, Continuous CRP may still be an option.
Ultimately, it’s about finding a practice that works best for you. Once you’re enrolled, All Native Seed is here to supply you with high quality CRP seed mixes. If you have any questions about selecting the right seed for your practice, don’t hesitate to contact us here.
And if you need help choosing, enrolling in, and establishing a practice, our parent company offers full-service CRP solutions that can assist you from start to finish. Click here to visit their website.