Incentive program can help farmers

Can profit by conserving trees, grass

A federal farm program that takes cropland out of production still keeps it environmentally fruitful and f i nancially rewarding to the producer by planting trees and grasses for 10-15 years.

That’s t he crux of t he Conservation Reserve Program, and the 45th general sign-up for DeSoto-Tate area begins May 20 and ends June 14.

“It continues to be our goal to ensure that the CRP program i s used to address the nation’s critical resource issues” said Darryl Waller, Senatobia- based executive director of the DeSotoTate office of the FSA, a unit of the U. S. Department of Agriculture.

“We were i nformed last week that we would be holding a new CRP sign-up nationwide,” he said Friday.

“In recent years, many counties i n Mississippi experienced t he worst drought in decades,” said Waller. “CRP protected environmentally sensitive lands from washing or blowing away, and provided extra grazing land when needed.”

He said he expects strong competition to enroll or re- enroll acres i nto CRP, so he urges area producers and landowners “to maximize t hei r environmental benefits and make sure their offers are cost- effective.”

In addition to erosion control, CRP provides significant water- quality benefits, i ncluding reduced nutrients and sediment loadings and adverse consequences linked to f loods, as well as expanded and enhanced wildlife habitat.

Some 27 million acres are enrolled in CRP nationwide, and 782,207 acres are listed in Mississippi.

CRP i s a voluntary program available to agricultural producers to help them safeguard environmentally sensitive land. Producers enrolled in CRP plant long-term, r e s ou r c e - c on s e r v i n g covers.

On Sept. 30, CRP contracts will expire on an estimated 3. 3 million acres, with 65, 1 7 1 of those in Mississippi.

“Producers with expiring contracts and producers with environmentally sensitive land are encouraged to evaluate their options under CRP,” said Waller.

Producers that are accepted in the sign-up can receive cost- share assistance for planting covers and receive an annual rental payment for the length of the contract.

To sign up or for more i nformation on CRP and other Farm Service Agency programs, visit t he DeSoto-Tate off ice at 502 N. Robinson St. in Senatobia, call 662-5609001 Ext. 2, or go online at fsa.usda. gov.

Participation in the fair was open to all homeschool students in kindergarten through grade 12 and was not limited to those living in DeSoto County. The topics had