Current Status of the CRP

Currently, 36.4 million acres are enrolled in the CRP. Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

Concerned about the potential adverse environmental impact from crop production on expiring CRP acres and on other cropland acres, the Chairman and Ranking Minority Member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry asked us to (1) estimate the amount, and identify the location of, CRP land and other cropland that is environmentally sensitive and should be permanently removed from crop production to achieve environmental benefits; (2) identify ways to modify the CRP to more effectively remove this land from production; and (3) identify CRP land and other cropland that is environmentally sensitive but can be protected by conservation practices and stay in production. Using Buffer Zones Can Reduce the Amount of Cropland Needed for Land Retirement

No comprehensive data are available to specifically identify the amount and location of CRP land and other environmentally sensitive cropland that should be removed from production for environmental benefits. In addition, modifying the CRP could reduce federal costs and increase the amount of time the land is protected by allowing CRP participants to engage in limited uses of the CRP land for a reduced federal payment and encouraging the use of long-term easements instead of 10-year contracts. Appropriate Conservation Practices for Cropland in Production Can Be Pursued Through Current Programs or New Proposals

Except for buffer zones, most CRP land and other environmentally sensitive cropland can generally be in agricultural production without seriously harming water, air, and soil quality if farmers use appropriate conservation practices such as correct chemical application, reduced tillage, and periodic rotations to cover crops. These programs generally provide technical assistance, cost-sharing, and/or incentive payments to farmers to establish conservation structures or conservation practices.
Why GAO Did This Study

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO: (1) estimated the amount and locations of land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and other environmentally sensitive cropland that should be removed from production; and (2) provided information on alternatives for managing these lands.

What GAO Found

GAO found that: (1) it could not precisely identify the amount of CRP and other environmentally sensitive cropland that should be kept out of production; (2) there are about 36.4 million acres of land enrolled in CRP, but by using buffer zones and other conservation practices, this amount could be reduced substantially; (3) reducing the amount of land enrolled in CRP would reduce federal costs; (4) allowing farmers to earn revenue from environmentally compatible uses of CRP land would also reduce federal costs; (5) CRP benefits would last longer if the program used easements to restrict land use for longer periods than the 10-year contracts CRP presently uses; (6) except for buffer zones, most CRP and other environmentally sensitive cropland can be in production without serious environmental consequences if farmers practice appropriate conservation measures; and (7) environmental benefits could also be increased through incentive payments to farmers to encourage them to adopt conservation practices.