(KLZA)-- The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is accepting offers for more than 2.2 million acres from agricultural producers and private landowners through this year- Grassland, General, and Continuous Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) signups administered by USDA- Farm Service Agency (FSA). With these accepted acres, enrollment is very near the 27 million CRP acreage cap.

Including the nearly 1.44 million acres recently accepted in Grassland CRP for offers received in 2024, producers will have enrolled more than 10 million acres in this popular working-lands program.

Grassland CRP allows producers and landowners to continue grazing and haying practices while protecting grasslands and further CRP- impacts. Grassland CRP leverages working lands practices to improve biodiversity and conserve environmentally sensitive land.

Top states for this year- Grassland CRP signup include:, Nebraska with 237,853 acres accepted. FSA also has accepted nearly 200,000 acres through the General signup, bringing total acres enrolled in General CRP to 7.9 million acres. As one of the largest private lands conservation programs in the United States, CRP offers a range of conservation options to farmers, ranchers and landowners. It has been an especially strong opportunity for farmers with less productive or marginal cropland, helping them re-establish valuable land cover to help improve water quality, prevent soil erosion and support wildlife habitat.   

Producers can still make an offer to participate in CRP through the Continuous CRP signup, which is ongoing, by contacting FSA at their local USDA Service Center.