Iowa leads nation in Conservation Reserve rental ... - Business 380

A ring-necked pheasant flushes from a Conservation Reserve Program grass field near Parnell in southern Iowa County. The USDA will distribute Conservation Reserve Program rental payments totaling $213 million to more than 53,000 Iowa farmers, the highest payout for any state in the nation. Orlan Love/SourceMedia Group News

More than 53,000 Iowa farmers will be receiving Conservation Reserve Program rental payments from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, sharing a total payout of $213 million in fiscal 2012 ? the highest of any state in the nation.

Iowa landowners had enrolled 106,772 Conservation Reserve Program?contracts for more than 1.7 million acres of farmland at the end of fiscal 2011 on Sept. 30. The voluntary program helps agricultural producers safeguard environmentally sensitive land and provide millions of acres of habitat for game and non-game wildlife species.

Landowners enroll in?Conservation Reserve Program contracts for 10 to 15 years. Total program enrollment nationwide stands at 29.9 million acres.

The Commodity Credit Corp. makes the annual rental payments based on the agriculture rental value of the land. It also provides cost-share assistance for up to 50 percent of the landowner?s costs in establishing approved conservation practices.

The average rental payment will be $55.06 per acre. Producers will receive an average payment of $4,115 per farm enrolled in the program.

The Farm Service Agency administers the Conservation Reserve Program?with technical and support functions provided by public and private sector partners. Bruce Nelson, Farm Service Agency administrator, said the program protects millions of acres of American topsoil from erosion and is designed to safeguard the America?s natural resources.

?By reducing water runoff and sedimentation,?the Conservation Reserve Program?protects groundwater and helps improve the condition of lakes, rivers, ponds, and streams,? Nelson said.??Acreage enrolled in the?Conservation Reserve Program is planted to resource-conserving vegetative covers, making the program a major contributor to increased wildlife populations in many parts of the country.?

The USDA also issues non-rental Conservation Reserve Program?payments throughout the year. The payments include a 50 percent expense reimbursement for establishing and managing cover as well as incentive payment for using eligible high priority conservation practices.

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Source: http://business380.com/2011/10/06/iowa-leads-nation-in-conservation-reserve-rental-payments/

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