Contract modification payments to be issued

     U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) State Executive Director Amanda De Jong has announced that payments will soon be issued to landowners whose Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contracts require modifications.

   With the expiration of the 2014 Farm Bill on Sept. 30, 2018, USDA no longer has the authority to make modifications to CRP contracts requiring an increase in contract acres. However, other contract modifications can be made, and payments will be issued for contracts that had been approved by Sept. 30, 2018.

   In October 2018, USDA issued program payments to more than 55,000 landowners on 112,969 CRP contracts in Iowa that had no pending contract modifications. Around 700 contracts that require modifications remain unpaid.

   The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), established in 1985, offers landowners annual rental and cost-share payments for converting environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production to vegetative cover suitable for the protection of soil and water resources and the improvement of wildlife habitat.

   “Landowners who have questions about unpaid CRP contracts should contact and work with FSA at their local USDA Service Center,” said De Jong. “Our county office staff will be working diligently over the coming weeks to issue payments as soon as possible.”

   For more information on USDA programs or to locate a USDA Service Center, please visit www.farmers.gov.