The Natural Resource Conservation Service are accepting applications for the Conservation Reserve Program.
Applications must be started with the Farm Service Agency who will determine producer eligibility. The NRCS then recieves the application and will determine if the area the applicant has highlighted will fit the practice the applicant has signed up for.
There are for practices for the program: cool season grass, native grasses, tree planting, and a permanent wildlife habitat. The practices are based on a point scale.
NRCS District Conservationist Cathy Froelich tells us what to expect from the process:
“It’s a very competitive signup. But again if you’re interested, come in, start at FSA, then I’ll have a conversation with you and we’ll get it all by February 28.”
There is also a continuous CRP signup that is ongoing. The continuous CRP consists of filter strips, grass waterways, habitat buffers for upland birds, and wetland restoration.