House Ag Committee Chairman David Scott Supports Conservation Reserve Program Climate Incentive

Washington, DC — U.S. House Agriculture Committee Chairman David Scott, D-GA, and Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry Chair Abigail Spanberger, D-VA, issued the following statement in response to USDA’s announcement on Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) enhancements:

“Today’s (April 21) announcement shows that USDA is committed to ensuring that America’s farmers and ranchers are an essential piece of the Biden-Harris Administration’s efforts on climate change,” said Chairman Scott.

“I’ve said time and again that agriculture needs to be at the tip of the spear on our efforts on climate change, and this announcement by Secretary Vilsack gives me confidence that we’re headed in the right direction.

"Today’s news further leverages the enormous capacity for the Conservation Reserve Program to store carbon, and the enhancements announced will be key in these efforts."

Said Spanberger: “As a nation, we can do more to reward farmers who engage in successful, voluntary conservation programs — one of those being CRP. Across Virginia, more than 2,700 farms and 33,000 acres are enrolled in CRP.

Subscribe here for Grain E-News delivered to your inbox every Thursday.

Through CRP, farmers in environmentally sensitive areas are rewarded for capturing carbon. The programmatic changes announced today will be especially critical to the ongoing restoration of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and the larger fight to mitigate the climate crisis."

“I applaud today’s announcement to both establish a new climate incentive payment within CRP and to monitor the impacts of this initiative.

Together, these changes will not only boost program enrollment, but will also help improve program design to better protect our soil, air, and water.”

Since it was first authorized in 1985, the Conservation Reserve Program has worked to build soil health, improve water quality, and develop wildlife habitat.

To date, the program has prevented more than 9 billion tons of soil from eroding and has sequestered an average of 49 million tons of greenhouse gases annually.

The 2018 farm bill gradually expanded CRP program acreage to 27 million acres by fiscal year 2023. There are currently 4 million acres available for enrollment.

More information on this announcement from USDA can be found at the link provided here.

Related Articles:

NGFA: Conservation Reserve Program Should Target Environmentally Sensitive Portions of Farms

Grain Talk Podcast: Get to Know New NGFA President and CEO Mike Seyfert

Webinar Recording: Rabobank: How Global Long-Term Grains & Oilseeds Trends Will Impact Local Operations