Salisbury – Rowan County USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) Executive Director, Kathy Dudley, reminds landowners and producers that the general sign-up for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) ends Friday April 15.  All interested farmers, landowners and producers should contact the Rowan County FSA office to discuss their eligible land.  

“The Conservation Reserve Program has shown great environmental improvements,” Dudley said.  “This program preserves the soil, cleans water and restores habitat for wildlife in Rowan County.”

CRP is a voluntary program that allows environmentally sensitive land to be used for conservation benefits. Those producers accepted in the program plant long-term, resource conserving vegetative covers in exchange for rental payments, cost share and technical assistance. By reducing water runoff and sedimentation, CRP protects groundwater and improves the condition of Rowan County lakes, rivers, ponds and streams. The vegetative covers offers improved wildlife habitat, making it a major contributor to the increase in wildlife population.  

FSA evaluates and ranks eligible land offered for CRP using the Environmental Benefits Index (EBI). The EBI review looks at five environmental factors: wildlife, water, soil, air and enduring benefits, as well as cost. The land is ranked based on which would offer the greatest environmental benefits.

In addition to this general sign-up, CRP’s continuous sign-up program is ongoing. Continuous acres represent the most environmentally desirable and sensitive land. For more information, visit the Rowan County FSA office at 2727 Old Concord Rd, Salisbury.  Producers can call 704-637-1602, x2.  Go to www.fsa.usda.gov/crp for additional details.