WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) today introduced the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Improvement and Flexibility Act. The legislation would bolster CRP by improving access to grazing, maximizing enrollment options for producers, and expediting emergency haying in response to drought and other weather-related disaster events.
“Ensuring that CRP continues to be an effective option for producers and landowners is critical to South Dakota’s agriculture industry,” said Thune. “As a longtime supporter of CRP, I’m proud to lead this commonsense legislation that would help advance the multiple-use benefits of this conservation program, including wildlife habitat and livestock forage potential.”
“The Conservation Reserve Program helps equip our farmers with the tools to conserve and improve soil, water quality, and wildlife habitat,” said Klobuchar. “This bipartisan legislation makes commonsense improvements to CRP that will strengthen conservation practices and landowner enrollment in this vital program.”
“When land sits idle, it doesn’t just go unused, it declines, and so do the small towns and rural communities that depend on active land management,” said Warren Symens, president of the South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association (SDCA). “Cattle are key to grassland health – enhancing habitat, improving water infiltration, and supporting carbon sequestration through grazing. Investing in fence and water infrastructure needed to graze CRP acres strengthens soil and gives producers a lifeline during drought, helping them keep their herds instead of selling off herds. SDCA thanks Senators Thune and Klobuchar for leading the charge on this important issue.”
“The Conservation Reserve Program is an important, incentive-based program that provides flexibility for farmers and ranchers to implement voluntary conservation practices on their land,” said Tom Landmark, state chairman of South Dakota Ducks Unlimited. “We thank Senators Thune and Klobuchar for their leadership in enhancing CRP to ensure landowners can continue to get the most out of this historically successful program in South Dakota, Minnesota, and across the U.S.”
“The Conservation Reserve Program is one of our nation’s most effective tools for improving wildlife habitat, water quality, and soil health on private lands, and is a vital part of the farm safety net,” said Andrew Schmidt, director of government affairs for Pheasants Forever (PF) and Quail Forever (QF). “The CRP Improvement and Flexibility Act will make this critical program work better for farmers, ranchers, rural communities, and wildlife. PF and QF are grateful to Majority Leader Thune and Ranking Member Klobuchar for their continued leadership in strengthening CRP and ensuring it remains a cornerstone of private lands conservation.”
The CRP Improvement and Flexibility Act would:
- Make CRP grazing a more attractive option by providing cost-share for the establishment of grazing infrastructure – including fencing and water distribution – on all CRP practices and contracts if grazing is included in the approved conservation plan;
- Increase the CRP annual payment limitation from $50,000, which was established in 1985, to $125,000 to account for inflation and rising land values and provide landowners with more CRP enrollment options to ensure resources are appropriately conserved;
- Reinstate mid-contract management cost-share payments for activities that are not related to haying or grazing;
- Permanently establish the State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement practice under Continuous CRP; and
- Create flexibility for producers by allowing emergency haying on CRP acres when certain conditions are met and in consultation with state technical committees.