Questions & Answers Virginia CREP What is the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program? The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program or CREP (pronounced krep) is a joint, Federal-State land retirement conservation program targeted to address State and nationally significant agriculture-related environmental effects. This voluntary program uses financial incentives to encourage farmers and ranchers to enroll in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) in contracts of 10 to 15 years duration to remove lands from agricultural production. It is authorized by the Food Security Act of 1985, as amended. What is the Virginia CREP? CREP is a Federal and State partnership agreement to retire environmentally sensitive land through the Conservation Reserve Program. The Virginia enhancement program consists of two components: the Chesapeake Bay CREP and the Southern Rivers CREP. When fully implemented, these projects will collectively restore up to 30,500 acres of riparian habitat and 4,500 acres of wetlands. The Chesapeake Bay CREP will target 25,000 acres within the Bay watershed, while the Southern Rivers CREP will target 10,000 acres in non-Bay drainage basins. The Chesapeake Bay CREP has been developed to assist in protecting the Bay from the impacts of excessive nutrient and sediment loading due to agricultural runoff and assist Virginia in meeting the overall goal of reducing controllable nutrient and sediment loading to the Bay by 40 percent. The Southern Rivers CREP project is directed at watersheds outside the Chesapeake Bay drainage basin. What areas in Virginia are included in the program? Producers can offer land in any part of the Chesapeake Bay watershed that meets the eligibility requirements identified for the Virginia CREP The Southern Rivers CREP project area includes areas within drainage basins outside of the Chesapeake watershed that meet at least one of the following criteria: A "high" priority ranking for total agricultural pollution as identified in The Virginia Nonpoint Source Pollution Watershed Assessment Report, July 1997; A "high" Natural Heritage Resource watershed ranking as identified in The Virginia Nonpoint Source Pollution Watershed Assessment Report, July 1997; "Priority County"status in the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries Virginia Bobwhite Quail Management Plan; Watersheds located within the New River Basin, which has been designated as an American Heritage River. What are the goals of the Virginia CREP? The objectives of the Virginia CREP include: Helping agricultural producers meet nutrient reduction goals in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed in addition to promoting voluntary nutrient reduction in non-Bay watersheds; Achieving the following collective reductions in overall nonpoint source contribution due to agriculture in the affected basins: Nitrogen - over 600,000 pounds per year; Phosphorus - over 90,000 pounds per year; Sediment - over 50,000 tons per year; Providing substantial wildlife habitat enhancement for the preservation of natural diversity of the biological resources of the Commonwealth, including threatened and endangered species such as the peregrine falcon and the big-eared bat, associated with riparian and wetland habitats. Virginia will conduct monitoring throughout the project duration to evaluate and record progress in achieving these goals. What are some of the benefits of the Virginia CREP? This program is expected to have significant water quality and wildlife habitat benefits. When fully implemented, this CREP is expected to substantially reduce the nitrogen and sediment deposition due to agricultural activities to the Chesapeake Bay watershed as well as protect other nutrient sensitive waterways in Virginia. What conservation measures are applicable? To better serve program goals, specific conservation practices have been identified for inclusion in the program. These are: CP21 Filter strip; CP22 Riparian buffer; CP23 Wetland restoration; When and who can sign up for the Virginia CREP? Eligible producers will be able to enroll in 10- to 15-year CRP contracts. Producers may extend the benefits of the program through separate contracts with the State. Virginia will attempt to enroll up to 8,000 acres of eligible lands in permanent conservation easements. Enrollment for CREP will be on a continuous basis beginning in November 1999. The applicant must be able to offer otherwise eligible acreage that meets the following criteria: Filter strip within 100 feet from the stream bank or drainage channel; Riparian buffer within 300 feet from the stream bank or drainage channel; Wetland restoration- entirely hydric soils or predominantly hydric soils, not to exceed 40 acres in size. The Applicant also must satisfy the basic eligibility criteria for CRP. Land must be cropland that has been cropped 2 out of the past 5 years that is physically and legally capable of being cropped. Marginal pasture land can also be eligible to be enrolled provided it is suitable for use as a riparian buffer planted to trees. In addition, producers enrolling the land must generally have owned or operated the land for at least 1 year prior to enrollment. Persons who have an existing CRP contract or an approved offer with a contract pending are not eligible for CREP until that contract expires. What are the payments under CREP? There are two types of payments for which participants in the Virginia CREP will be eligible: annual rental payments and cost-share assistance for the installation of the conservation practices on land that is retired. The annual rental payment will be based on the current soil rental rate, as calculated by the Farm Service Agency (FSA) for general CRP purposes. The gross rental payment will be calculated in accordance with the following schedule: On land enrolled as marginal pastureland, the rental payment shall be determined using the county average CRP rental rate within the respective county as the base rate; or On land enrolled as cropland, the rental payment shall be determined using the weighted average of the current CRP soil rental rates on the enrolled acreage; and A 120 percent incentive rate will be applied to the respective base rate; and A $5 per acre additional amount will be allowed to reflect maintenance requirements. The total annual per acre payment, including any State incentives, may not exceed $100 on land enrolled in the Chesapeake Bay CREP and $90 on land enrolled in the Southern Rivers CREP . Virginia will offer one-time lump sum incentive payments based on the length of the CREP contract. For 10-year contracts, the incentive payment will be $50 per acre enrolled. For 15-year contracts, the payment will total $75 per acre enrolled. The State will also provide a tax credit to eligible landowners for costs borne as part of the CREP. The Commodity Credit Corporation will pay up to 50 percent of the cost of installing conservation practices (i.e installing new vegetation or fencing). In addition, Virginia will pay 25 percent of the eligible reimbursable costs of conservation practice installation. What is the cost of the Virginia program? Based on the full implementation of both Virginia CREP projects and an enrollment of 35,000 acres, the expected financial Federal and State obligation will be approximately $91 million over 15 years, with $68 million coming from the Federal government and $23 million coming from the State. This does not include any costs that may be borne by producers. Virginia's share is approximately 20 percent of the total program costs and the Federal government share is approximately 80 percent. Virginia will also obligate up to $3.75 million for the voluntary procurement of 8,000 acres of permanent conservation easements, 6,000 acres in the Bay project, and 2,000 acres in the Southern Rivers project. Can I still enroll in general CRP and continuous sign up CRP? Yes, CREP is another option that a farmer may select to enhance their land; an applicant may still enroll in the regular general CRP or continuous sign up CRP. However, CREP provides additional benefits not available through the general and/or continuous sign up. The CREP enrollment process is on a continuous basis and payments are at a higher effective rate. Can I hay or graze my CREP land? Haying and grazing would not be permitted during the CRP contract period unless the Secretary of Agriculture permits it for emergency purposes under normal CRP rules. Where can I get more information about the program? Contact the county U.S. Department of Agriculture Service Center, Farm Service Agency local office, Soil and Water Conservation District, or State of Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. #