06.05.14

Hoeven Announces Continuous Conservation Reserve Program, Transition Incentives Program Sign-Up Starting June 9

WASHINGTON – Senator John Hoeven today announced that the sign-up periods for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Continuous Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and the Transition Incentives Program (TIP) will begin on Monday, June 9.

Continuous CRP, a voluntary conservation program, operates through a number of initiatives, including the State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) program, which allows producers to create habitat that is beneficial for wildlife, and is targeted to high-value conservation practices. SAFE is an effective program for both farmers and sportsmen because it allows farmers to optimize CRP acreage to encourage wildlife populations. Combined with North Dakota’s PLOTS and Coverlocks programs, which make private lands available to hunters, the SAFE program can create more habitats to increase wildlife populations and hunting opportunities.

TIP provides opportunities for new farmers and ranchers by providing up to two additional years of CRP payments to retired farmers and ranchers who transition land from an expiring CRP contract to these new producers, either by selling the land or by agreeing to a long-term lease. North Dakota is one of the leading states in TIP utilization, with 417 agreements covering 66,490 acres across fiscal years (FY)2010-2012.

“North Dakotans, whether they are farmers, sportsmen or conservationists, place a high value our land,” Hoeven said. “These two programs help our farmers and ranchers protect our natural resources while also maintaining private ownership of the land, helping support the next generation of farmers and ranchers and providing more options as our producers plan the best use of their land. We worked hard to maintain these programs in the farm bill and to ensure that they have the flexibility our producers need.”

As a member of the Farm Bill conference committee as well as the Senate Agriculture Committee, Senator Hoeven served a key role in the passage of the 2014 Farm Bill, which included the reauthorization of CRP and TIP. The Farm Bill also included report language pushed by Hoeven that encourages the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to allocate a greater number of CRP acres to programs under Continuous CRP, such as SAFE.