Agricultural Resources and Environmental Indicators: Land Retirement
Mark Smith
No. (AH722) ,
December 2000
The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) remains the largest U.S. agricultural land conservation program. Re-authorized by the 1996 Farm Act at a time when commodity prices were high, consideration was given to early release of some contracts, and more careful targeting of enrolled acreage to maximize environmental benefits. The emphasis on targeting for environmental benefits continues, as the criteria for enrollment have evolved and other forms of targeting, such as the continuous CRP signup and Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, have emerged. As the CRP approaches its statutory 36.4-million-acre limit, some have proposed increasing the acreage cap, which could slightly shift the geographic distribution of enrollment. The Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP), a much smaller related land-retirement program, is also approaching its statutory cap.
Keywords: land retirement, Conservation Reserve Program, CRP, Wetlands Reserve Program, WRP, conservation, highly erodible land, wetlands, targeting, ERS, USDA
In this series ... Reports are
in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.
Chapter 6.2: Land Retirement,
203 kb.
Contents
- The Conservation Reserve Program: Current Status and Characteristics
- Program Changes Since the 1996 Farm Act
- Recent Signup Results and Relative Environmental Benefits
- Scheduled Contract Expirations and Potential Expansion
- CRP Costs and Benefits
- The Wetlands Reserve Program
- References
See other chapters in the Agricultural Resources and Environmental Indicators series.
Updated date: December 27, 2000
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