The Conservation Reserve Program: Paying Farmers Not to Farm
The CRP pays landowners annual rent to take environmentally sensitive cropland out of production. It's one of the largest farm programs — and one of the most debated.
Key Finding
CRP and its variants account for $16.07B in payments — 10.9% of all farm subsidies — across 6,489,966 individual payments.
How CRP Works
Created in the 1985 Farm Bill, the Conservation Reserve Program offers farmers 10-15 year contracts. In exchange for taking fragile land out of production, the USDA pays annual rental rates based on the soil's productivity and local land values. Enrolled land must be planted with grasses, trees, or other conservation cover.
At its peak, CRP enrolled over 36 million acres — an area roughly the size of Iowa. Currently, about 23 million acres are enrolled, with a statutory cap of 27 million.
CRP Variants in the Data
| Program | Total | Payments |
|---|---|---|
| CRP Annual Rental | $15.72B | 6,291,255 |
| CRP Cost-Share Web-Based — Cof | $182.2M | 88,726 |
| CRP — Continuous Pip | $103.3M | 82,663 |
| CRP Transition Incentives Program | $37.5M | 5,965 |
| CRP Forest Management Incentive | $13.5M | 2,606 |
| CRP — Emergency Forestry Annual Rental | $8.5M | 3,830 |
| CRP — Tree Thinning Incentive Program | $2.5M | 849 |
| CRP Clear30 Maint Program | $1.5M | 711 |
| CRP Practice Incentives Payment | $1.0M | 12,957 |
| CRP — Chesapeake Bay Incentive | $888K | 366 |
| CRP Forest Inventory Pilot Program | $719K | 12 |
| CRP Honey Bee Incentive Paymnts | $53K | 19 |
| CRP — Emergency Forestry Cost Share | $25K | 7 |
| Total CRP | $16.07B | 6,489,966 |
The Controversy: Paying to NOT Produce
Critics argue that CRP reduces food production at a time when global demand is rising. They point out that rental payments often go to landowners who don't farm at all — including investors and retirees. In some rural counties, so much land is enrolled in CRP that local economies feel the impact of reduced agricultural activity.
Supporters counter that CRP delivers enormous environmental benefits: reduced soil erosion, improved water quality, carbon sequestration, and critical wildlife habitat. The program prevents an estimated 600 million tons of soil from eroding each year and has been credited with reviving populations of pheasants, ducks, and grassland songbirds.
The Bottom Line
CRP represents a fundamentally different philosophy of farm spending — paying for environmental outcomes rather than crop production. Whether that's good policy depends on how you weigh food production against conservation. The dollars suggest Congress values both: CRP accounts for 10.9% of the subsidy budget, while commodity and disaster programs claim the lion's share.
📊 Data Sources
USDA Farm Service Agency payment data (1995–2024). Program totals from FSA payment files. Explore all programs on the Programs page.