(NAFB) – The Department of Agriculture has accepted 2.8 million acres in offers for enrollment into the Conservation Reserve Program in 2021.

This year, almost 1.9 million acres in offers have been accepted through the General CRP Signup, and USDA’s Farm Service Agency has accepted over 897,000 acres for enrollment through the Continuous Signup. The Continuous Signup remains open, and CRP Grasslands Signup closed last week, so USDA expects to enroll more acres into all of CRP than the three million acres that are expiring. Despite Congress raising the enrollment target in the 2018 farm bill, there have been decreases in enrollment for the past two years. USDA made changes this spring to reverse the trend.

FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux says, “Even with the improved direction, USDA will still be about 4 million acres below the enrollment target.”

The four million-acre shortfall in CRP would represent A loss of 1.5 million acres of quality wildlife and pollinator less habitat for wildlife.