Of Interest to landowners with expiring CRP contracts

Kansas

Kansas Wheat producers who have Conservation Reserve Program contracts expiring this coming Sept. 30 should soon be getting important information on a time-limited offer from the Farm Service Agency.

Participants who currently have CRP contracts that expire at the end of September will receive letters from their county FSA office explaining the offer and outlining their various options. The Kansas producers will then have until April 14 to accept the offer. This program will affect some 1.6 million CRP acres in Kansas.

Bill Fuller, State Executive Director for the Farm Service Agency explained that 10 or 15-year contract re-enrollments for certain lands and up to five-year extensions for other expiring contracts will be offered.

A large number of Kansas Wheat producers also participate in the Conservation Reserve Program, and the offered options for dealing with the expiring contracts will be an important part of the producer's farm management plan.

The original contract's Environmental Benefits Index score will determine whether a land-owner is offered an extension or a new CRP contract. The EBI score is a ranking of the land's contribution to improving soil erosion, water quality, air quality, trees and wildlife habitat.

Most provisions of the offers made to farmers cannot be changed, so producers cannot add additional land, increase or decrease the extension time, or extend a contract rather than enter into a new contract.

Producers who do decide to accept an offer concerning their land will be required to have a compliance review of the expiring contract, to make sure the producer has adhered to contract requirements of its conservation plan and the control of noxious weeds and invasive plants. There is a flat fee of $45 for the compliance review plus one dollar per acre.

In a news release from the Kansas FSA office, Director Fuller encouraged producers to carefully review the options explained in the offer letters, plus keeping in mind the April 14 deadline for taking necessary action.

Producers needing more information should contact their county Farm Service Agency office.

Date: 2/23/06