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Most of you have voiced your frustration about the lack of solid answers on what the new Farm Bill’s Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) will look like. The BCCD Board and staff are equally dissatisfied and have been working behind the scenes for more than a year on this topic… without making much headway. We have attended and voiced our concerns at many State level meetings, lobbied our legislative representatives, and worked with the Department of Agriculture on CRP issues. Another mitigating factor has been the Presidential Election. Along with a new President came a major change in the Administration; and currently no-one has been permanently appointed to our State Farm Service Agency’s Executive Director position. So today, the best we can do is update you on what we DO know about how the expiring CRP acres in Baca County will be handled at the local level.

 We are still getting lots of questions on when CRP contracts expiring September 30, 2009 can be broken out to return to crop production.  There are no provisions for planting a crop on expiring CRP that can be harvested in 2009!  Before beginning any land preparations, you must first make a request at the FSA Office and develop a conservation plan with NRCS.

 MAY 1 TO JUNE 30

If you intend to plant a fall seeded crop (example: wheat or triticale) for harvest in 2010, the earliest date you may start land preparations is May 1, 2009.  The annual CRP rental payment will be reduced a prorated amount from the date the land is broken until June 30.  To the best of our knowledge, these crops will not be insurable with Federal Crop Insurance or NAP.  It will be a serious violation of your CRP contract to take this option and NOT plant to a fall crop.

 JULY 16

Expiring CRP may be broken to plant a fall seeded crop (example: wheat or triticale) for harvest in 2010, without a reduction in the CRP annual rental payment.  To the best of our knowledge, these crops will not be insurable with Federal Crop Insurance or NAP.

to kill the permanent vegetative cover in preparation for planting a crop in the spring of 2010 for harvest in 2010.  No tillage operations may begin until after October 1, 2009.  It is our understanding at this time that crops planted in the spring of 2010 will be eligible for Federal Crop Insurance or NAP coverage if all other eligibility requirements are met.

 OCTOBER 1

The CRP contract will have expired and land preparations may begin without any affect on your CRP contract.  You must still farm in accordance with a conservation plan prepared by NRCS to be eligible for future USDA program benefits.

 RESTORING CROP BASES

Crop bases will be restored on expiring CRP contracts to the extent they were reduced when land was put in CRP.  Direct and Counter-cyclical payments may still be earned even if the land is left in permanent vegetative cover.  Farms that were only partly enrolled in CRP, may have had enough cultivated land that preserved the bases without reduction so there would be no additional base restoration on these farms.