Conservation Programs: Where Farm Subsidies Meet Environmental Protection
Conservation programs are the often-overlooked side of farm subsidies. While commodity and emergency programs make headlines, conservation spending quietly protects millions of acres of sensitive land.
$15.7B
CRP Annual Rental
$14.2B
Price Loss Coverage
$14.2B
CFAP (COVID Relief)
Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) — The Largest Farm Program
The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is not just the largest conservation program — it's the single largest farm subsidy program in the USDA's portfolio at $15.7 billion across 6.3 million payments since 2017.
CRP pays landowners an annual rental payment to voluntarily remove environmentally sensitive cropland from production for 10-15 year contracts. In return, farmers plant conservation cover — native grasses, trees, or riparian buffers — that reduces soil erosion, improves water quality, and provides wildlife habitat.
CRP payments are remarkably consistent year to year, averaging approximately $1.75 billion annually:
- 2017: $1.77B
- 2018: $1.81B
- 2019: $1.79B
- 2020: $1.77B
- 2021: $1.47B (dip during re-enrollment)
- 2022: $1.75B
- 2023: $1.75B
- 2024: $1.79B
- 2025: $1.81B
This stability stands in stark contrast to commodity and emergency programs, which can swing by billions from year to year. For a deep dive, see our CRP conservation analysis.
Which States Benefit Most from CRP?
CRP payments are concentrated in the Great Plains and Midwest, where large tracts of marginal cropland are enrolled:
- Iowa — $3.15B (the largest CRP state)
- Illinois — $1.46B
- Minnesota — $1.17B
- South Dakota — $914M
- Missouri — $867M
- Texas — $847M
- Nebraska — $682M
- Kansas — $669M
- Washington — $570M
- Colorado — $535M
Other Conservation Programs
Emergency Conservation Program (ECP)
ECP provides emergency funding to rehabilitate farmland damaged by natural disasters. This includes cost-sharing for debris removal, fence restoration, and water infrastructure repair. Total ECP spending: $367M+ (ECPCOF) plus $192M (FY2018).
CRP Cost-Share
Beyond annual rental payments, CRP provides cost-share assistance for establishing conservation cover. This includes $182M in web-based cost-share payments and additional funds for specific practices like tree planting, forest management, and riparian buffers.
Grasslands Reserve Program
The Grasslands Reserve Program protects grassland ecosystems through easements and rental agreements, distributing $58.6M to keep native grasslands intact.
Emergency Forestry Restoration
The Emergency Forestry Restoration Program (EFRP) provides cost-share payments to restore privately held forests damaged by natural disasters, with $11.2M in recent spending.
Conservation vs. Commodity vs. Emergency
How does conservation spending compare to other categories? Here's an approximate breakdown of the $147.3B total:
- Conservation programs: ~$17B (12%) — CRP, ECP, Grasslands, Forestry
- Commodity programs: ~$23B (16%) — PLC, ARC, dairy programs
- Emergency/disaster: ~$22B (15%) — LFP, ELAP, ERP, WHIP
- Trade war (MFP): ~$22B (15%) — One-time trade compensation
- COVID (CFAP): ~$25B (17%) — Pandemic relief
- Other: ~$38B (25%) — Supplemental disaster, specialty crops, other
Conservation programs provide remarkably consistent spending year after year, making them the backbone of farm subsidy spending even as emergency programs spike and recede.
The Environmental Impact
CRP alone has enrolled over 20 million acres of land in conservation practices. According to the USDA, this has:
- Reduced soil erosion by hundreds of millions of tons
- Sequestered carbon equivalent to taking millions of cars off the road
- Restored habitat for pollinator species and grassland birds
- Improved water quality in watersheds across the Midwest
- Created riparian buffers that filter runoff before it reaches waterways
Critics argue that CRP payments could be higher and that more acreage should be enrolled, especially as climate change increases the value of conservation practices.