USDA Farm Service Agency issuing CRP rental payments

McCOOK, Nebraska -- Red Willow-Frontier County Farm Service Agency (FSA) Director, Kenneth Carriker announced that County Offices of the USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA) are distributing Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) annual rental payments to participants this week. Payments originally were scheduled to be issued earlier in the month, but were delayed due to the lapse in Federal funding.

"Farmers, ranchers and landowners count on program payments and the payment delays due to the shutdown created a burden to them," Carriker said. "USDA has prioritized making these scheduled payments without any further delay and County staffs are working hard to get the CRP payments out the door as quickly as possible," he said.

Red Willow and Frontier County producers and landowners will receive more than $1.65 million in rental payments on more than 364 CRP contracts. Nationally, CRP annual rental payments are being issued for 390,000 farms covering 26.8 million acres. The current annual rental payment being distributed is for the contract year October 1, 2012 through September 30, 2013. In exchange for the yearly rental payment provided by USDA on contracts ranging from 10 to 15 years, participants enrolled in CRP agree to remove environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production and plant grasses, legumes and trees that improve water quality, reduce erosion, conserve water and improve waterfowl and wildlife habitat.

The 2008 Farm Bill, extended by the American Tax Payer Relief Act of 2012, provided authority to enroll new land in CRP through September 30, 2013. Legislation has not been enacted to reauthorize or extend this authority. Effective October 1, 2013, FSA cannot approve or process new applications for CRP.

CRP annual rental payments are processed through FSA's Kansas City Office. Individual questions on CRP payments should be directed to the local FSA Office where the CRP contract is administered. For more information on CRP and other FSA programs, visit your local FSA Service Center or www.fsa.usda.gov.