NEWS
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Office of Communications News Room 460-A
Washington, DC 20250-1300
Internet: News@usda.gov   Phone: 202-720-9035
World Wide Web Home Page: http://www.usda.gov

Release No. 0247.05

                                     Ed Loyd (202) 720-4623
                             Jillene Johnson (202) 720-9733

USDA PARTNERSHIP WITH INDIANA WILL IMPROVE
WATER QUALITY FOR INDIANAPOLIS, EVANSVILLE
        
        WASHINGTON, July 08, 2005 -- Agriculture Deputy 
Secretary Chuck Conner today announced a $20.2 million 
Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) with 
Indiana to improve water quality.
        
        �Reducing agricultural runoff into the targeted 
watersheds improves the environment by enhancing habitat 
for wildlife, especially for threatened and endangered 
species,� Conner said.  �This partnership will also 
improve water quality, and I encourage all eligible 
producers to participate.�  Conner attended the signing 
ceremony today for the new CREP with Indiana Lt. Governor 
Becky Skillman at Brownsburg, Ind.
        
        The Indiana CREP targets the enrollment of 7,000 
acres in the Highland/Pigeon, Tippecanoe and Upper White 
River watersheds where sediment, nutrients, pesticides and 
herbicides run off from agricultural land. Landowners can 
offer eligible cropland and marginal pastureland in these 
watersheds.
        
        Over the course of their contracts, CREP 
participants will receive incentive payments and cost-
share assistance for installing approved conservation 
practices from USDA�s Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC).  
CCC will also provide annual rental payments for the 
duration of the contract.
        
	The state of Indiana will contribute at least 20 
percent of the overall costs of implementing the CREP and 
will offer 10-year contract extensions and permanent 
easements.  Indiana will pay all costs associated with 
monitoring the state�s water quality and provide technical 
assistance to develop conservation plans and implement 
practices.
        
        The total cost over a 15-year period is estimated at 
$20.2 million, with CCC contributing $14.6 million and the 

state of Indiana funding $5.6 million.
        
        Sign-up for the Indiana CREP is scheduled to begin 
July 18, 2005, and will continue until enrollment goals 
are attained, or through Dec. 31, 2007, whichever comes 
first. Land enrolled in the program remains under contract 
for a period of 14 to 15 years, as specified in the 
contract.
        
        The CREP, a part of the Conservation Reserve Program 
administered by USDA�s Farm Service Agency (FSA), is a 

voluntary program that pays participants to implement 
conservation practices on environmentally sensitive land.  
In return, participants receive annual rental payments, 
cost-share assistance and other financial incentives. The 
CREP partners with states, tribal governments and private 
groups to address critical conservation issues of the 
state and nation. The program has garnered strong support 
nationwide from agricultural producers and landowners, 
sports enthusiasts and environmentalists, and local and 
state governments since its start in 1997.
        
        More information on the Indiana CREP is 
available at local FSA offices and on FSA�s Web site 
at: www.fsa.usda.gov/dafp/cepd/default.htm.

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