Conservation Reserve Program

The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is a voluntary program of the United States Department of Agriculture. Created in 1986, the program seeks to conserve land and prevent soil erosion. The program pays farmers to plant the land to native grasses and not produce a crop for profit. For family farms, the income from the program can be a significant factor in their continued economic viability. The program is controversial, however, because some non-farmers and urbanites view the program as a way for big agribusiness to get money from the federal government without having to plant anything on land which cannot be farmed profitably in the first place. Some CRP land is open to the public for hiking and hunting.

External links

• http://www.fsa.usda.gov/dafp/cepd/crp.htm
• http://www.fsa.usda.gov/dafp/cepd/crp/maps.htm