Kansas Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program Enrollment Expanded and Incentives Increased

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Kansas Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program Enrollment Expanded and Incentives Increased

08/23/2011 10:44 AM EDT

Kansas Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program Enrollment Expanded and Incentives Increased

MANHATTAN, Kan., Aug. 23, 2011 — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the state of Kansas have reached an agreement to expand the existing enrollment cap for the Upper Arkansas River Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) from 20,000 to 28,950 acres. The federal rental payment rates for irrigated land enrolled in the Upper Arkansas River CREP range from $115 to $140 per acre per year for 14 or 15 years depending on the type of cropland, existing irrigation used and location within the project area.

The Kansas Department of Agriculture, Division of Conservation, currently reports 11,508 acres enrolled in CREP, and expects the increased acreage cap will allow landowners and operators in Kearny and Gray counties to participate at a higher rate.

“The Upper Arkansas River CREP is an excellent example of a voluntary federal/state partnership that provides multiple environmental benefits including the potential to increase the population of the lesser prairie chicken and extend the life of the Ogallala Aquifer” said Adrian J. Polansky, state executive director of USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Kansas.

The Upper Arkansas River CREP is a federal-state-local partnership that provides a voluntary, incentive-based program for producers with irrigated cropland, which allows for the specialized enrollment of their land under Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contracts for critical water savings and other purposes. Under the program, the water rights associated with the land enrolled in CREP are permanently retired by local water authorities. Landowners in all or parts of 10 counties (Barton, Edwards, Finney, Ford, Gray, Hamilton, Kearny, Pawnee, Rice and Stafford) along the Upper Arkansas River are eligible to enroll in CREP. Participating landowners receive up to 15 years of rental payments, a state sign-up bonus and state, and federal and private cost-share dollars to put irrigated acres into long-term conservation cover. The program operates on a first come-first served basis.

The Upper Arkansas River CREP is designed to conserve irrigation groundwater and surface water, improve water quality, reduce soil erosion and enhance wildlife habitat (both terrestrial and aquatic).

Eligibility requirements:

At least one-half acre foot of irrigation water per acre was previously applied four out of six years from 2002 to 2007.

At least 50 percent of the maximum annual quantity authorized to be diverted under the water right has been used in any three years from 2001 to 2005.

At least 51 percent of the offered land must be located within the CREP project boundary.

No more than 25 percent of the CREP acreage enrollment cap can be enrolled in a single county (7,238 acres per county).

For more information on the Upper Arkansas River CREP, contact Kansas Department of Agriculture CREP Coordinator Steve Frost at (785) 296-3600 or e-mail steve.frost@kda.ks.gov, or contact Carla Wikoff with USDA Kansas FSA at (785) 564-4770 or e-mail carla.wikoff@ks.usda.gov.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice), or (202) 720-6382 (TDD).

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