USDA Conservation Reserve Program reaches its 40th anniversary this year.

“Signed into law in 1985, CRP is one of the largest voluntary land conservation programs in the U.S. Originally, it was intended to primarily control soil erosion and provide stability to commodity prices by taking marginal lands out of production. And the program has evolved over years, providing many conservation and economic benefits to the community.”

The recent conclusion and announcement of enrolled acreage through various sign-ups signifies the continued popularity of this program among landowners, according to Farm Service Agency Administrator Bill Beam.

“The Farm Service Agency recently announced acceptance of 1.78 million acres into the Conservation Reserve Program for the 2025 enrollments. That 1.78 million acres enrolled includes general sign-up, continuous sign-up, and Grasslands and the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, or CREP.”

The latest sign-ups resulted in 25.8 million acres currently enrolled in CRP.

“We received offers on more than an additional 2.6 million acres. The program’s total acreage is capped at 27 million acres for the year of 2025, of which 1.8 million acres was available for enrollment.”

The administrator says, after offsetting for expiring CRP acres, administrative reserves, plus what he calls a highly competitive process for submitted offers:

“About 955,000 acres are expiring in September of this year. Producers submitted their re-enrollment offers on just over 624,000 acres and offered enrollment of new lands of just under 2 million acres.”

Regarding the top states for CRP acreage acceptance for 2025:

“Kansas, South Dakota and Colorado are the top three slots.”