Conservation Reserve Program

Last Modified: 01/05/2010

The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) provides technical and financial assistance to eligible landowners to address soil, water, and related natural resource concerns on their lands in an environmentally beneficial and cost-effective manner.  CRP encourages landowners to convert highly erodible cropland and other environmentally sensitive areas to permanent cover, such as introduced or native grasses, trees, filter strips, riparian forest buffers, wetlands, and shallow water habitats. 

CRP is funded through the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC).  CCC makes annual rental payments based on the agriculture rental value of the land, and provides cost-share assistance for up to 50 percent of the participant’s eligible costs to establish approved conservation practices.  Participants enroll in CRP contracts for 10 to 15 years.  The program is administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA), with technical assistance provided by NRCS and other cooperating agencies.

National CRP program information

Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program

Overview

What Lands are Eligible for Enrollment in CREP?

What Are Some of the Financial Benefits Available in CREP?

Are There Specific Planting and Maintenance Requirements?

How Can Landowners Enroll in CREP?

Maryland CRP/CREP Program Information

Maryland CRP/CREP Technical Resources

Overview

In Maryland, the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) offers additional incentives to encourage landowners to implement practices that will help reduce sediment and nutrients in the Chesapeake Bay and will improve wildlife habitat. CREP is seeking to enroll 16,000 acres of highly erodible cropland into grass, shrubs, and/or tree plantings, establish 77,000 acres of riparian buffer habitat, provide 5,000 acres of water and wetland habitat, and restore 2,000 acres of habitat for declining species. CREP is administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA). NRCS and cooperating agencies are providing technical assistance to help landowners plan and implement CREP practices.

What Lands are Eligible for Enrollment in CREP?

Like CRP, landowners must own land for at least one year before they can enroll it in CREP. Enrollment is on a continuous basis, allowing landowners to join the program at any time rather than waiting for specific sign-up periods. Eligible lands include the following:

• Cropland that is on highly erodible soil (Erodibility Index of 16 or more) within 1,000 feet of a perennial or intermittent stream, wetland, or other qualifying waterbody, and is suitable for planting grasses, shrubs, and/or trees;

• Cropland or marginal pasture that is adjacent to a perennial or intermittent stream, wetland, or other qualifying waterbody, and is suitable for establishing buffer practices (filter strips, forest buffers, wildlife buffers, or wetland buffers);

• Cropland that is suitable for restoration of wetlands or creation of shallow water habitats;

• Cropland that is suitable for habitat restoration to benefit declining species of plants or animals.

Eligible cropland must have the required "cropping history," which means that it was planted or considered planted to an agricultural commodity crop during 4 of the 6 crop years, 1996 to 2001, and is still physically and legally capable of being planted in a normal manner.

Marginal pasture is land that is not cropland or forestland and is not currently functioning as a riparian forest buffer.

Lands that have heavy infestations of invasive weeds and/or have poor access for treatment are not eligible for enrollment in CREP. As a general guideline, "heavy infestation" means that more than 20% of a site is covered with invasive plants, including noxious weeds. Lands with light infestations of invasive plants may be enrolled in CREP if a qualified weed control specialist determines that weed control can be successfully accomplished within 12 months of enrollment.

What Are Some of the Financial Benefits Available in CREP?

FSA provides an annual land rental payment, plus cost-share of up to 50 percent of the eligible costs to plant grasses, shrubs, and/or trees on highly erodible cropland, establish vegetated buffers along streams, restore wetlands, provide shallow water areas for wildlife, and restore habitat for rare and declining species. FSA also provides an annual CREP incentive payment of:

• $200 per acre for the first 50 feet of a riparian forest buffer;

• $150 per acre for the first 50 feet of grass buffers;

• $50 per acre for restoring wetlands and declining species habitat, providing shallow water areas, and establishing permanent vegetation on highly erodible cropland.

Additional incentives and one-time payments may also be available for some practices.

The Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA), through the MACS program, offers additional cost-share (up to 37.5 percent of eligible costs) for practices that will provide significant benefits for water quality.

Are There Specific Planting and Maintenance Requirements?

NRCS and cooperating agencies provide technical assistance to help landowners evaluate their land and determine which CREP practices will meet their needs. Land enrolled in CREP must be planted with herbaceous plants (grasses mixed with forbs and/or legumes) or woody plants (shrubs and/or trees). For each CREP practice, landowners can select one or more plantings from an approved list of grass mixes, shrubs, or trees. Decisions are recorded in a site-specific conservation plan. By signing a CREP contract, landowners agree to install practices according to NRCS practice standards and a time schedule that is included in the conservation plan.

Plantings must be maintained in the approved cover for the life of the CREP contract -- 10 to 15 years. Noxious weeds must be controlled as required by State law. Haying or grazing of most CREP land is prohibited, unless approved in advance by FSA.

Maintenance activities, such as mowing, are usually needed to establish and maintain plantings. To assist with the cost of maintenance, FSA provides maintenance payments ranging from $5 to $10 per acre per year as part of the annual rental payment.

Certain management practices, such as prescribed burning, light strip disking, and overseeding of legumes, may also be required at specified intervals to provide long-term wildlife benefits. FSA provides up to 50 percent cost-share for approved management practices.

As part of a CREP conservation plan, NRCS provides landowners with one or more "job sheets" that explain the maintenance and management requirements for each practice.

How Can Landowners Enroll in CREP?

USDA Service Center offices, located in each Maryland county, can provide additional details and program assistance concerning CREP eligibility requirements, practices, and payments.

Maryland CRP & CREP Program Information

These documents require Adobe Acrobat.

Maryland CREP Procedural Flow Chart (PDF; 77 KB)
Maryland CREP Summary of Practices and Payments (PDF; 61 KB)
Maryland CREP FSA forms (PDF; 198 KB)
Maryland CRP & CREP Management Practices (PDF; 77 KB)
Continuous CRP Summary of Practices and Payments (PDF; 60 KB)
Maryland CREP Report (PDF; 16 KB)

Maryland CRP & CREP Technical Resources

Maryland CRP & CREP job sheets for establishing and maintaining warm-season grasses, cool-season grasses, trees/shrubs, wetlands, shallow water habitats and habitat buffers for upland birds.

These documents require Adobe Acrobat.

Maryland CREP Technical Handbook (PDF; 1.9 MB)
Maryland CRP & CREP Wetland Verification Worksheet (PDF; 72 KB)
Maryland Technical Criteria for CP33 - Habitat Buffers for Upland Birds (PDF; 155 KB)
MD-CPA-052, Maryland Environmental Evaluation Checklist (PDF; 147 KB)
MD-CPA-052, Instructions (PDF; 94 KB)
Eastern Shore Native Grass Short Mix (PDF; 40 KB)

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