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  • USDA forecasts $4 billion in conservation program payments in 2024
    4/22/2024
    USDA forecasts $4 billion in conservation program payments in 2024
  • Conservation Reserve Program reaches 22 million enrolled acres in 2022
    6/14/2023
    Conservation Reserve Program reaches 22 million enrolled acres in 2022
  • Conservation Reserve Program is regionally concentrated
    6/6/2023
    Conservation Reserve Program is regionally concentrated
  • Cover crop mixes account for 18 to 25 percent of major commodity acreage with cover crops
    12/5/2022
    Cover crop mixes account for 18 to 25 percent of major commodity acreage with cover crops
  • Adoption of conservation tillage has increased over the past two decades on acreage planted to major U.S. cash crops
    10/25/2022
    Adoption of conservation tillage has increased over the past two decades on acreage planted to major U.S. cash crops
  • From 2002 to 2019, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) spending increased for technical assistance to support Farm Bill program implementation
    6/6/2022
    From 2002 to 2019, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) spending increased for technical assistance to support Farm Bill program implementation
  • USDA’s NRCS is the most common source of technical assistance for crop fields with self-reported soil and water related resource concerns
    6/1/2022
    USDA’s NRCS is the most common source of technical assistance for crop fields with self-reported soil and water related resource concerns
  • More farmers are adding fall cover crops to their corn-for-grain, cotton, and soybean fields
    5/25/2022
    More farmers are adding fall cover crops to their corn-for-grain, cotton, and soybean fields
  • Water- and wind-driven erosion affect a large portion of cropland, according to estimates from both model-based and farmer-reported data
    5/20/2022
    Water- and wind-driven erosion affect a large portion of cropland, according to estimates from both model-based and farmer-reported data
  • Farmer-reported soil and water concerns vary by crop type and region
    5/6/2022
    Farmer-reported soil and water concerns vary by crop type and region
  • Cover practice choices earn a range of Environmental Benefits Index points, with Wildlife Priority Zones (WPZ) providing substantial additional points for practices with higher wildlife scores
    4/4/2022
    Cover practice choices earn a range of Environmental Benefits Index points, with Wildlife Priority Zones (WPZ) providing substantial additional points for practices with higher wildlife scores
  • Grassland practices were the most popular cover choice in the 2013 General Signup, and within that group, the most popular choice was CP2-Premium
    4/4/2022
    Grassland practices were the most popular cover choice in the 2013 General Signup, and within that group, the most popular choice was CP2-Premium
  • Higher scoring cover practices generally cost more to establish, but costs vary within practices
    4/4/2022
    Higher scoring cover practices generally cost more to establish, but costs vary within practices
  • A high-diversity mix of native grasses is the most common practice selected in the Conservation Reserve Program General Signup
    3/9/2022
    A high-diversity mix of native grasses is the most common practice selected in the Conservation Reserve Program General Signup
  • Four key soil health indicators show evidence of improvement with cover crop use over 3–5 years in Soil Health Partnership trials
    3/7/2022
    Four key soil health indicators show evidence of improvement with cover crop use over 3–5 years in Soil Health Partnership trials
  • USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program incentivizes higher quality cover practices using an Environmental Benefits Index
    2/24/2022
    USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program incentivizes higher quality cover practices using an Environmental Benefits Index
  • Rates of cover crop adoption vary depending on the cash crop being planted
    10/1/2021
    Rates of cover crop adoption vary depending on the cash crop being planted
  • Fields with cover crops more likely to be in a conservation crop rotation, especially in soybean and corn fields
    8/20/2021
    Fields with cover crops more likely to be in a conservation crop rotation, especially in soybean and corn fields
  • Crop production is the largest user of freshwater in the U.S. food system, 1997-2012
    8/9/2021
    Crop production is the largest user of freshwater in the U.S. food system, 1997-2012
  • The U.S. food system relies more heavily on surface water than groundwater, 1997-2012
    8/9/2021
    The U.S. food system relies more heavily on surface water than groundwater, 1997-2012
  • Fresh vegetables and other foods each use about 20 percent of freshwater, 2012
    8/9/2021
    Fresh vegetables and other foods each use about 20 percent of freshwater, 2012
  • Water use tradeoffs exist between different dietary patterns, 2007
    8/9/2021
    Water use tradeoffs exist between different dietary patterns, 2007
  • Rye and winter wheat were the most common cover crops on corn, soybean, and cotton fields
    7/9/2021
    Rye and winter wheat were the most common cover crops on corn, soybean, and cotton fields
  • Rye and winter wheat were the most common cover crop species on corn, soybean, and cotton fields surveyed between 2015 and 2018
    7/6/2021
    Rye and winter wheat were the most common cover crop species on corn, soybean, and cotton fields surveyed between 2015 and 2018
  • Cover crop use is more persistent on cotton and corn silage fields
    4/22/2021
    Cover crop use is more persistent on cotton and corn silage fields
  • Cover crop adoption more persistent on cotton and corn silage fields
    2/17/2021
    Cover crop adoption more persistent on cotton and corn silage fields
  • USDA’s Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program in Kansas largely attracts participants with higher rates of groundwater depletion
    10/21/2020
    USDA’s Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program in Kansas largely attracts participants with higher rates of groundwater depletion
  • Conservation spending remained roughly level in recent years, a trend projected to continue through 2023
    10/5/2020
    Conservation spending remained roughly level in recent years, a trend projected to continue through 2023
  • Most land exiting USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program was used for annual crop production
    9/14/2020
    Most land exiting USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program was used for annual crop production
  • A large share of land enrolled in USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program was located in the Plains, from Texas to Montana
    5/26/2020
    A large share of land enrolled in USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program was located in the Plains, from Texas to Montana
  • The fate of expiring Conservation Reserve Program acreage varied with its conservation practice
    1/13/2020
    The fate of expiring Conservation Reserve Program acreage varied with its conservation practice
  • Conservation practices have decreased soil erosion on cultivated cropland over time
    9/20/2019
    Conservation practices have decreased soil erosion on cultivated cropland over time
  • Shifts in payments for the top five crop management practices in USDA’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program
    9/6/2019
    Shifts in payments for the top five crop management practices in USDA’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program
  • Inflation-adjusted annual spending for major USDA conservation programs, 1996-2018, with projections to 2023
    7/24/2019
    Inflation-adjusted annual spending for major USDA conservation programs, 1996-2018, with projections to 2023
  • Share of conservation spending by major programs and predecessors in the 2018 and previous farm acts
    7/24/2019
    Share of conservation spending by major programs and predecessors in the 2018 and previous farm acts
  • Pasture, rangeland, and forage-area crops have driven the growth in insured acres since 2007
    2/19/2019
    Pasture, rangeland, and forage-area crops have driven the growth in insured acres since 2007