Plan to Push Farmland Into Conservation Reserve Program Runs Up Against Higher Crop Prices

The Biden administration hopes to convince farmers to set aside 4 million more of acres of U.S. land for conservation this year by raising payment rates in an environmental program, but farmers said surging crop prices make it a tougher sell, according to a Reuters report.

The push to enroll more land into the 36-year-old Conservation Reserve Program is a part of the administration’s campaign to counter climate change.

In the voluntary program, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) pays farmers a yearly rent not to grow crops on environmentally sensitive land for 10 to 15 years as a way to prevent soil erosion, sequester carbon, reduce nitrogen runoff, and protect wildlife habitat.

Still, farmers said the potential for big profits from crop production will make them reluctant to take land out of production. U.S. corn and soy futures notched fresh multiyear highs on the Chicago Board of Trade on Thursday.

To read the full Reuters article click here.

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