According to research from Purdue University, enrollment in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) has been steadily declining since 2007. One of the primary drivers of this are the high commodity prices through last year that encourage farmers to plant or rent their agricultural lands, reports the Wildlife Management Institute.

David Widmar, a research associate at Purdue's Department of Agricultural Economics, found that the number of acres in CRP fell by nearly 10 million acres between 2007 and 2013. He reported that North Dakota's enrollment dropped by 47 percent (1.6 million acres) during that period with Montana close behind at 43 percent (1.4 million acres).

High commodity prices have driven farmland rental rates up making it more profitable for landowners to cash rent their land rather than keeping it enrolled in CRP. Current CRP acreage approximates levels enrolled in the late 1980s when the program was in its initial ramp-up stage. CRP participation peaked in 2007 when over 35 million acres were enrolled and the 2014 Farm Bill calls for further decline to 24 million acres by 2018.

CRP has easily been the most effective federal program in recent times to improve water quality and provide much needed grassland habitat for wildlife. It will be especially important that the acres that remain in CRP be targeted at the most effective locations and be managed properly to achieve the most benefits. (pmr)