Despite near-record prices for many crops, interest in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) remains high, reports the Wildlife Management Institute. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced that nearly 48,000 offers were received from agricultural producers covering 4.5 million acres during the 43^rd general sign-up opportunity for CRP that concluded in late May. USDA accepted 3.9 million acres into the program out of the 4.5 million acres offered.

Currently 29.6 million acres are enrolled in CRP nationwide. Six and a half million of those acres are scheduled to expire on September 30 this year. Sixty percent of those expiring acres were offered for re-enrollment during this latest sign-up opportunity indicating many producers are happy with the program.

While it is comforting to see interest in CRP remain strong during periods of high commodity prices, there is some cause for concern. With the 3.9 million acres from this sign-up, and assuming full enrollment in continuous CRP practices that are targeting 1.75 million acres, it is estimated that around 27.5 million acres will be enrolled in CRP by the end of 2012--well below the program's 32 million-acre cap. Additionally, about a million acres of CRP will be lost in the northern Great Plains, a region that supports some of the nation's best grassland wildlife populations. That area is also in the upper watersheds of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. Additional nutrients and sediment entering these streams as a result of converting CRP lands in this region back to crop production will adversely impact water quality throughout the length of these rivers and into the Gulf of Mexico.

USDA estimates that in 2011, CRP reduced losses of nitrogen and phosphorous from farm fields by nearly 800 million pounds. Additionally, they estimate that CRP reduces erosion by over 300 million tons per year. (pmr)