Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program

Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program

Fact Sheet

The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) is a state/federal/local partnership that combines the existing federal Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) with the existing Minnesota Reinvest in Minnesota (RIM) Reserve Program to retire environmentally sensitive land in the Minnesota River Valley. Under CREP, landowners can voluntarily enroll eligible land in a 15-year CRP contract followed by a RIM Reserve perpetual easement. Landowners who enroll land will need to develop a conservation plan to manage the land for maximum water quality and wildlife benefits.

What types of land are eligible?

Enrollment will be targeted to:

	Marginal frequently flooded cropland in the floodplain of the mainstream river and principal tributaries of the Minnesota River.
	Riparian buffers along cropland identified as a pollutant contributor.
	Wetland restoration with a high potential for providing water quality and wildlife benefits to the Minnesota River or its tributaries; and
	Cropland that was planted or considered planted to an agricultural commodity 2 of the 5 most recent crop years (including field margins) which is also physically and legally capable of being planted in a normal manner to an agricultural commodity; or (2) Marginal pastureland that is suitable for use as a riparian buffer to be planted to trees.

Landowners can fill out an application to enroll land into CREP at their local USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) offices. The USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) will provide technical advice and support.

Landowners who enroll land will initially receive a "RIM Reserve bonus" payment followed by 15 years of annual CRP payments. (The "bonus" payment is essentially a lump sum payment for the RIM Reserve easement that begins when the CRP contract expires.) The payment rates for both the CRP and RIM Reserve are based on individual formulas that take a variety of factors into consideration. The CRP payments are based on Soil Rental Rates currently approved. The RIM Reserve bonus payment is based on 40% of the CRP payment.

What is the History?

The CREP is authorized by the Food Security Act of 1985 as amended, which gives the Secretary of Agriculture discretion to enter into agreements with states to use the CRP to cost-effectively further specific conservation and environmental objectives of the state and nation. Minnesota submitted the CREP proposal to the USDA in October 1996.

What is the background?

The Minnesota River stretches 335 miles from the western border of Minnesota to its confluence with the Mississippi River in the Minnesota/St. Paul area. Approximately 92 percent of the basin's 16,770 square miles area is agricultural; intense land use has made the river one of the country's most polluted and single largest source of phosphorous and sediment to the Mississippi River. Sampling at 22 sites along the river indicates that all sites violate bacterial standards. A Statewide 10-year plan to clean up the river began several years ago and is already having some positive.

The plant species of a native prairie have become adapted, over thousands of years, to survive climatic extremes and are well suited to local soil types.

What are the benefits?

	Environmental benefits include reduced sediment, phosphorus and nitrogen loading; reduced flooding; improved wildlife habitat; and improved recreational opportunities.
	The program effectively leverages state, federal and private dollars to improve water quality, which benefits all residents of Minnesota.
	Clearly, the program benefits Minnesota, which would greatly increase the number of acres enrolled in the RIM Reserve Program easements.
	The program benefits the federal government by allowing it to retain the benefits accrued from its investment in the Conservation Reserve Program for many years.
	Farmers benefit by having the option of receiving compensation for voluntarily placing environmentally sensitive cropland that is only marginally productive into a 15 year CRP contract followed by a conservation easement through the RIM Reserve Program.

For further information please contact Doug Schoenecker at (952) 492-5415 or email at dschoenecker@co.scott.mn.us.

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