GLICKMAN ANNOUNCES HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL CRP SIGN-UP, WITH 9.5 MILLION ACRES OFFERED Release No. 0441.97 Tom Amontree (202) 720-4623 tamontree@usda.gov Steve Thompson (202) 720-7961 sthompson@wdc.fsa.usda.gov GLICKMAN ANNOUNCES HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL CRP SIGN-UP, WITH 9.5 MILLION ACRES OFFERED Albany, N.Y., Dec. 12, 1997--Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman today announced the successful conclusion of the sixteenth sign-up period for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). "Preliminary data from the field indicates that we received approximately 125,404 offers for 9,449,702 acres during the most recent CRP sign-up that concluded on November 14," Glickman said. Glickman cautioned the public that these figures are preliminary estimates only. Final numbers may vary. "Producers continue to show interest in the CRP," said Glickman. "I am confident this will allow the Department to continue to enroll acres that provide significant environmental benefits relative to cost." The CRP is based on voluntary partnerships between Government and members of the public. Agricultural producers receive annual rental payments and cost-share assistance for establishing various kinds of protective cover on suitable farm property to protect and improve air, water, soil quality, and habitat for wildlife. Rents are based on local agricultural-value market rates and acres are selected to maximize environmental benefits. All land that is enrolled in the program must compete for acceptance based on an environmental benefit index that ensures fair and equal consideration for all offers and all types of land. Producers will be notified of acreage acceptance by early February. Individual sign-up statistics by State follow. These figures are taken from preliminary returns from FSA field offices. Final sign-up figures will be released later. - more - -2- State No. of offers Acres offered National Summary 125,404 9,449,702 Alabama 3,542 145,090 Alaska 1 138 Arkansas 773 42,033 California 76 17,238 Colorado 2,820 511,519 Connecticut 5 98 Delaware 20 472 Florida 404 15,756 Georgia 2,937 96,761 Idaho 678 82,945 Illinois 7,211 203,338 Indiana 3,166 90,966 Iowa 11,927 456,895 Kansas 7,754 537,608 Kentucky 2,035 76,513 Louisiana 615 45,163 Maine 283 6,939 Maryland 150 3,653 Massachusetts 10 247 Michigan 2,240 70,532 Minnesota 11,064 520,894 Mississippi 2,871 141,951 Missouri 5,779 295,295 Montana 5,200 1,045,251 Nebraska 4,409 315,165 Nevada 3 597 New Jersey 50 1,621 New Mexico 55 11,860 New York 414 12,783 North Carolina 1,630 28,632 North Dakota 10,440 1,141,954 Ohio 1,995 62,236 Oklahoma 3,114 343,692 Oregon 485 83,060 Pennsylvania 491 16,021 South Carolina 1,883 61,525 South Dakota 6,196 606,391 Tennessee 2,222 74,039 Texas 8,917 1,390,167 Utah 334 56,374 Virginia 959 19,079 Washington 3,571 591,509 West Virginia 10 282 Wisconsin 6,454 168,959 Wyoming 211 56,459 # NOTE: USDA news releases and media advisories are available on the Internet. Access the USDA Home Page on the World Wide Web at http://www.usda.gov