CRP meetings set in Van Buren, Jefferson counties

A general Conservation Reserve Program sign up begins March 12 and runs through April 6.

To provide information on this sign up, meetings on the general CRP have been scheduled in both Jefferson and Van Buren counties.

The meeting in Van Buren County is set for 6:30 p.m. March 6 at the Roberts Memorial Building in Keosauqua, announced Bev Nelson, county executive director for the Van Buren County Farm Service Agency office.

The meeting in Jefferson County is set for 10 a.m. March 14 in the Jefferson County Fairgrounds Activity Building in Fairfield, said Gretchen McLain, county executive director for the Jefferson County FSA office.

The meetings will include program information related to the bidding process, completing contracts and discussing other USDA regulations.

?We are happy that our partner organizations can help provide information at this meeting,? said Nelson. ?T.J. Mathis, NRCS?s district conservationist, will present and answer questions on developing a CRP conservation plan. Casey Bergthold, from Pheasants Forever, will discuss seeding dates and rates, while Kevin Andersen, from DNR, will provide information on mid-contract management, increasing wildlife and other environmental benefits.?

McLain said Anderson also will be at the meeting in Fairfield to provide information on mid-contract management, increasing wildlife and other environmental benefits.

The CRP is the largest voluntary private-land conservation program. It helps farmers, ranchers and other agricultural producers use their environmentally sensitive land for conservation purposes. CRP assists in creating new wildlife habitat and enhancing water, soil and air quality through a variety of covers that can be established on the offered land. In return for offering the land, the FSA provides participants rental payments, cost share and technical assistance and does so on behalf of the Commodity Credit Corporation.

Offers for CRP contracts are ranked according to the Environmental Benefits Index. FSA collects data for each of the EBI factors based on the relative environmental benefits for the land offered. Each eligible offer is ranked in comparison to all other offers and selections made from that ranking.

Contract duration is between 10-15 years. Producers with expiring contracts and producers with environmentally sensitive land are encouraged to evaluate their options under CRP. Producers also are encouraged to look into CRP?s other enrollment opportunities offered on a continuous, non-competitive, signup basis.

Currently, Iowa has 1,658,024 acres enrolled in CRP; and contracts on an estimated 231,672 acres will expire Sept. 30.

Producers with CRP expiring Sept. 30, or those interested in putting new land into CRP. are encouraged to attend a meeting.

Nelson said the Van Buren Pheasants Forever will be serving dinner at the meeting in Keosauqua. Reservations are required for the dinner and may be made by calling 319-293-3371 or emailing bev.nelson@ia.usda.gov. The meeting and dinner is free.

For more information about the meetings or the general CRP sign up, contact the Van Buren County FSA office at 319-293-3371 or the Jefferson County FSA office at 472-2558 or access the website at http://www.fsa.usda.gov.