Nebraska one of top states for CRP signup

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture is accepting offers for more than 3.1 million acres from landowners in this year’s Conservation Reserve Program Grassland Signup, the highest in history.
    The signup’s results include 421,911 acres in Nebraska, which puts the state in the top three for signup in the U.S.
    The CRP allows producers and landowners to continue grazing and haying practices while protecting grasslands and promoting plant and animal biodiversity and conservation.
       “This year’s record-breaking Grassland CRP signup demonstrates the continued success and value of investments in voluntary, producer-led, working lands conservation programs,” said John Berge, FSA state executive director in Nebraska.
    Nationwide, this year’s Grassland CRP signup surpassed last year’s 2.5 million acres by 22%.
    Producers have enrolled 2 million acres and more than 464,000 acres have been submitted through the Continuous CRP Signup. This means about 5.6 million acres are entering CRP in 2023, surpassing the 3.9 million acres expiring this year.
    States with the highest increase in acres compared to last year include Arizona, a 141% increase; California up 129%; and Utah, 122% more.