USDA to Open General and Continuous Conservation Reserve Program Enrollment for 2026
WASHINGTON, February 10, 2026 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced the enrollment periods for agricultural producers and landowners to submit offers for the Continuous and General Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) is accepting offers for Continuous CRP starting Feb. 12, 2026, through March 20, 2026. Enrollment for General CRP will run from March 9, 2026, through April 17, 2026. FSA will announce dates for Grassland CRP signup in the near future.
CRP is USDA’s flagship conservation program, providing financial and technical support to agricultural producers and landowners who place unproductive or marginal cropland under contract for 10-15 years and who agree to voluntarily convert the land to beneficial vegetative cover to improve water quality, prevent soil erosion and support wildlife habitat.
USDA Accepts Nearly 1.8 Million Acres Through 2025 Conservation Reserve Program Enrollment,
WASHINGTON, Sept. 17, 2025 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced acceptance of 1.78 million acres into the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) through 2025 General, Continuous, Grassland, and Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program enrollments.
According to USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), about 25.8 million acres are currently enrolled in CRP, the agency’s flagship conservation program through which landowners, farmers and ranchers voluntarily convert marginal or unproductive cropland into vegetative cover that improves water quality, prevents erosion, restores wildlife habitat and in the case of Grassland CRP, enables participants to conserve grasslands while also continuing most grazing and haying practices.
Signup Period: March 9 to April 17, 2026
Producers with eligible lands compete nationally for acceptance based on an environmental benefits index (EBI) during specified enrollment periods. Producers may submit offers below soil-specific maximum rental rates and select wildlife-enhancing vegetative covers to increase EBI ranking.
Signup period: February 12 to March 20, 2026*
Unlike General CRP, these offers are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis until March 6, 2026. Offers submitted after this date will be considered for acceptance in subsequent batching periods if acreage remains available. This option targets smaller, environmentally sensitive areas like wetlands and riparian zones. Participants receive annual payments and cost-sharing benefits.
Signup Period: TBA
CRP Grasslands helps landowners and operators protect grassland, including rangeland, pastureland, and certain other lands while maintaining the areas as grazing lands. No cropping history is required. A separate CRP Grasslands signup is offered each year following general signup.
Open Fields and Waters (OFW) is a voluntary program that offers financial incentives to landowners willing to allow public walk-in access for hunting, trapping, and/or fishing. Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) fields and other undisturbed grasslands are ideal for OFW. To enroll in OFW, contact your local Nebraska Game & Parks Commission office.
Are you ready to enroll?
CRP general signup opportunities and information
General CRP helps producers and landowners establish long-term, resource-conserving plant species, such as approved grasses or trees, to control soil erosion, improve water quality and enhance wildlife habitat on cropland. Land not currently enrolled in CRP may be offered during this general CRP signup period. To submit general CRP offers, producers must contact their local FSA office. FSA will accept general CRP offers only during the signup period. Read the CRP General Signup fact sheet for more information.
Unlike General CRP, Continuous CRP offers are not subject to a competitive bid process. Offers to re-enroll expiring CRP continuous acreage will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis. New acreage offered in continuous CRP practices will be considered for acceptance on a first-come, first-serve basis if they support USDA conservation priorities including but not limited to practices that address water quality, such as filter strips and grass waterways, and practices that restore native ecosystems or target specific resource concerns. Acceptance of continuous offers will be subject to the availability of acres and USDA conservation priorities. As a result, FSA cannot guarantee acceptance of offers. Read the Continuous CRP Signup fact sheet for more information.
CRP updates
The 2018 Farm Bill raised the CRP acreage cap from 24 million to 27 million acres by FY 2023. This includes a minimum allocation of 2 million acres for CRP Grasslands.
During a CRP general signup, land is offered into the program on a competitive basis and ranked based on environmental benefits and costs. 2.07 million acres (90% of offers) were accepted during the last CRP general signup, including 58,936 acres in Nebraska.
Environmental Benefits Index
Because CRP is competitive, not all offers will be accepted into the program. Environmental Benefits Index (EBI) factors are used to score and rank each tract of land offered for general enrollment. The following fact sheets provide an overview of EBI factors, as well as insight on how producers can maximize EBI points and increase the likelihood that an offer will be accepted.
CRP General EBI fact sheet
EBI quick hitters
Soil Rental Rates
The 2018 Farm Bill limits CRP soil rental rates general CRP and continuous CRP enrollment contracts to not more than 85% and 90% of the average county rental rate, respectively.
Nebraska Soil Rental Rates for General CRP
Nebraska Soil Rental Rates for Continuous CRP
For more information on CRP, visit fsa.usda.gov or contact your local USDA Service Center.
CRP Practice Fact Sheets
CP38 Upland Wildlife SAFE
CP21 Filter Strips
CP27/28 Farmable Wetlands and Wetland Buffers
CP33 Field Borders
CP42 Pollinator Habitat
CP43 Prairie Strips
Habitat Management Fact Sheets
CRP Establishment and Management for Wildlife
CRP Management
Shrub Establishment
Smooth Brome Management
Invasive Tree Management
Patch-Burn Grazing
Contact your local USDA Service Center
Landowners and producers interested in CRP should contact their local USDA Service Center to learn more or to apply for the program.
FSA administers CRP while conservation planning assistance is provided by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and technical service providers (TSP) including Pheasants Forever’s Farm Bill Wildlife Biologists. To submit a CRP offer, producers must contact their local FSA office. FSA will accept offers only during the enrollment period. Producers are also encouraged to consult with NRCS or Farm Bill Wildlife Biologists to discuss conservation goals and options to increase the likelihood that a CRP offer will be accepted.
To find your local USDA office contact information, click here.
Additional Resources:
USDA Expands and Renews Conservation Reserve Program in Effort to Boost Enrollment
There are currently 25.8 million acres enrolled, and FSA is aiming to reach the 27-million-acre cap statutorily set for fiscal year 2023. To help increase producer interest and enrollment, FSA has taken the following actions:
- Adjusting soil rental rates. This enables additional flexibility for rate adjustments, including a possible increase in rates where appropriate.
- Increasing payments for Practice Incentives from 20% to 50%. This incentive for continuous CRP practices is based on the cost of establishment and is in addition to cost share payments.
- Increasing payments for water quality practices. Rates are increasing from 10% to 20% for certain water quality benefiting practices available through the CRP continuous signup, such as grassed waterways, riparian buffers, and filter strips.
- Establishing a CRP Grassland minimum rental rate. This benefits more than 1,300 counties with rates currently below the minimum.
Contact a biologist
Pheasants Forever’s Farm Bill Wildlife Biologists work one-on-one with landowners in Nebraska to help them enroll in local, state, and federal conservation programs such as CRP. Biologists also provide technical assistance for CRP establishment, cover upgrades, and other management activities. Contact a biologist to schedule a field visit or to discuss enrollment opportunities. We also have a series of habitat management fact sheets and videos that might help answer your questions.
Need more incentives to enroll?
Landowners may qualify for incentives by working with a private lands biologist from the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Additionally, landowners may receive up to $10 per acre in exchange for providing public hunting access on CRP. Through the Berggren Plan for Pheasants, the Commission is concentrating on improving habitat and hunter access in 8 areas of Nebraska. For more information, visit CRPsignup.com or reach out to a Nebraska Game and Parks Commission biologist by contacting an office near you.
