The results of the general sign-up for the Conservation Reserve Program turned out disappointing for some farmers. In South Dakota there were 727 offers for a total of 42,000 acres. However, only two offers were approved totaling a mere 101 acres. This may be a result of increasing acres being accepted in the continuous CRP, but it may also point out the need for an expansion of program acres in the next farm bill. USDA Acting Deputy Secretary Michael Scuse says he would support that move.
Scuse says the benefits of the CRP greatly outweigh the cost and that has been noted over the history of the program.
The number of CRP acres were capped in the last farm bill at just 24 million, which is down substantially from previous farm bills due to budget constraints.
