LINCOLN – Landowners and agricultural producers with expiring Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contract are able to receive additional rental incentives as well as extend the land’s role in conservation for another 30 years.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) opened up the signup period for the Clean Lakes, Estuaries, And Rivers enrollment (CLEAR30) through July 31, 2023. CLEAR30 is part of the CLEAR initiative which prioritizes water quality practices as a part of Continuous CRP enrollment.
CLEAR30 allows producers and landowners who enroll in certain water quality practices to enroll in 30-year contracts. CLEAR30 is a voluntary, incentive-based conservation opportunity by USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA).
FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux said nothing is more important to everything on the planet as clea water and CLEAR30 allows producers to practice conservation into the future.
Cropland and certain pastureland enrolled in Continuous CRP or the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) and is dedicated to an eligible water quality practice. This includes establishing of riparian buffers, contour strips, or grass waterways. These may be eligible for CLEAR30 if their contracts will expire by September 30, 2023.
Annual rental payments for landowners who enroll in CLEAR30 will be equal to the current Continuous CRP annual payment rate plus a 20 percent water quality incentive payment and an annual rental rate adjustment of 27.5 percent.
To sign up for CLEAR30, landowners and producers should contact their local USDA Service Center by July 31, 2023. Contact information can be found at farmers.gov/service-locator, and fact sheets are available at fsa.usda.gov/crp.
