New CRP Enrollment Deadline Set for End of March
Date: March 6, 1997
Editor: D'Lyn Ford (505) 646-6528, dlford@nmsu.edu
LAS CRUCES -- New Mexico farmers have until March 28 to submit eligible cropland for enrollment in the latest sign-up of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).
"It's very important that every producer already enrolled in the CRP go to the local Farm Service Agency (FSA) office to find out about eligibility requirements for land they want to include in the progam," said Gary Donart, range scientist with New Mexico State University's Agricultural Experiment Station.
In 1985, the main focus of the CRP was soil conservation, he said. To reduce erosion, farmers planted cropland in grasses to produce a permanent vegetative cover for 10 years. The revised CRP emphasizes conservation of land more than protection of soil. Environmental practices such as riparian buffers, grass waterways and filter strips have gained importance.
"Over the past decade, the CRP has become the largest cropland retirement program for conservation purposes in U.S. history," said Rex Kirksey, superintendent of NMSU's Agricultural Science Center at Tucumcari. "Today, 32.9 million acres are enrolled in the CRP. More than one-half of this acreage is in contracts that will expire Sept. 30, 1997."
New Mexico's CRP enrollment is about 480,000 acres, he said. Nearly one-third of the farmland acreage in the eastern part of the state is currently enrolled, and 90 percent is in contracts that will expire in September.
"In the original CRP, maximum per acre rental rates paid to farmers for enrolling land in the program were established by regions," Donart said. "The bidding process for the revised CRP will continue, but will be based on county average cash rent equivalents, adjusted for soil types at the site."
An Environmental Benefits Index (EBI) will be used to evaluate and rank CRP bids, Kirksey said. Lands providing the maximum environmental benefits at the least cost will be selected for enrollment in the CRP. The major factors in the EBI are wildlife habitat benefits, water quality benefits, on-farm benefits of reduced erosion and cost per acre.
The EBI and proposed rental rates are the two main concerns of farmers in New Mexico, he said. Through the EBI, farmers in one section of the country will be competing directly with farmers across the nation for enrollment of land in the CRP. With the new rental rates, producers are wondering if it would be worthwhile to enroll acreage in the CRP. Maximum allowable rental rates for eastern New Mexico range from $8 to $40 per acre per year, Kirksey said. Producers can get specific information on maximum rental rates from their local Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) office.
A number of issues relative to lands currently in the CRP need to be addressed, Donart said. "In many cases, producers may want to consider renovating existing grass stands for species diversity or develop wildlife habitat to enhance the likelihood of keeping land in the CRP."
Acreage that is not re-enrolled in CRP can be left in grass, which could be used for livestock grazing or returned to crop production, he said. Overall, producers must look at the economics of re-enrolling land in the CRP as opposed to their options for crop or livestock production.
"The future use of land currently in the CRP is a concern to the livestock industry," Donart said. "Having more land available for grazing could result in increased numbers of livestock, altering prices. Similarly, returning land to crop production could lower grain costs.
"Everybody's concerned about how existing CRP lands will be used," he added. "We want to try to maintain some economic stability to the agricultural producers and local communities."