Business : CRP Changes to Pollinator Habitat Practice, Sign-up Incentive Payments Announced

John R. Whitaker, State Executive Director for USDA’s Iowa Farm Service Agency, announced two changes to the continuous Conservation Reserve Program. Previously allowed during a General Sign up, pollinator habitats will now be accepted as a Continuous Sign-up practice and Sign up Incentive Payments or SIP payments of $150 are now eligible for this practice and others.

Pollinator habitat, which supports a variety of pollinator species; are areas of permanent vegetation located in an agricultural landscape: field edges, field middles, odd corners, or any agricultural location that is suitable for establishing pollinator habitat.

Participants of newly enrolled pollinator habitat practices are eligible to receive a $150 CRP Sign-up Incentive Payment (SIP) per acre. The SIP is a one-time payment issued to CRP participants after the contract is approved. The following practices qualify for the $150 SIP:

* Pollinator Habitats;

* Wetland Restoration & Wetland Restoration (non-floodplain) practice which restores the functions and values of wetland ecosystems that have been devoted to agricultural use and;

* Habitat Buffers for Upland Birds practice which provides food and cover for quail and upland birds in cropland areas

The SIP for all other continuous sign-up practices remains unchanged at $100 per acre.

Pollinators provide a very important ecological service. Approximately three quarters of all flowering plants rely upon external assistance to pollinate their flowers. In addition to agricultural crops such as fruits and many vegetables, these plants include seed producing wildflowers, fruit producing shrubs and nut producing trees which provide a source of food for many wildlife species. Studies indicate that birds, bees, bats, and other pollinators are in significant decline across the country and around the world. Nearly 80% of the crops grown in the world require pollination. In the United States, insects pollinate crops that produce $40 billion worth of products annually.

CRP is a voluntary program that helps producers apply conservation practices to safeguard environmentally sensitive land. Continuous CRP sign-up allows participants to submit offers for selected practices to enroll in CRP at anytime instead of waiting for a General CRP sign-up period. Participants and offered lands must meet certain eligibility requirements to be accepted into the program.

To learn more about CRP and other programs administered by FSA, contact your local county office or visit www.fsa.usda.gov/ia