The latest round of Continuous Conservation Reserve Program sign up showed an acceptance of 897,000 acres for enrollment nationally. That program along with CREP, Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program has seen a lot of popularity in South Dakota. Mark Norton is the Hunting Access and Farm Bill Coordinator for South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks. He works with FSA on CREP and continuous CRP.

He says recent upgrades to the CRP have made that program more effective and usable for landowners.

Norton says this year’s drought seems to go with weather extremes South Dakotans have had to deal with and having continuous CRP or CREP available to them becomes beneficial.

Norton says CREP covers those landowners located in the James River Watershed and that program pays an additional 31 percent of the base CRP rental rate annually. It also provides20 percent cost share to cover the cost of installing the grassland cover.