Originally
published Vol. 2, Issue 5 (November 2004)
Geographic distribution
of acres enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program
(CRP) is stable
Shawn Bucholtz
Today, nearly 35 million acres
of environmentally sensitive cropland are enrolled
in the CRP. Although the total acreage enrolled
in the CRP hasn't changed much since 1990, the actual
land enrolled has. Nearly half of CRP acres enrolled
between 1986-1992 have been replaced by new enrollments.
Despite this turnover, the regional distribution
of CRP acres has been stable. Within regions, however,
changes are more substantial, with the Northern
Great Plains showing the greatest shifts. These
shifts may be due to changes in bid selection procedures;
all contracts accepted after 1996 were ranked using
a selection index that considers both cost and environmental
benefits.
|
Download PDF version