The U.S. Department of Agriculture is accepting 2.2 million acres into the Conservation Reserve Program for 2026. Through CRP, USDA’s Farm Service Agency offers agricultural producers and landowners incentive payments for their conservation efforts while benefiting their agricultural operations and protecting the nation’s natural resources.
“The Conservation Reserve Program continues to demonstrate the strength of voluntary, producer-led conservation across the country,” said FSA Administrator Bill Beam. “The success of the 2026 enrollment period reflects USDA’s Farmers First commitment and the dedication of America’s farmers and ranchers to protecting our natural resources.”
Producers and landowners submitted offers on nearly 2.5 million acres through the General, Grassland and Continuous CRP signups. Because the program’s total acreage is capped at 27 million acres for fiscal year 2026, only 2.2 million acres were available for enrollment, making for a highly competitive process for those who submitted offers for CRP.
Of the nearly 1.5 million acres set to expire on Sept. 30, producers submitted re-enrollment offers for just over 982,000 acres. Additionally, producers submitted offers to enroll 1.5 million acres of new land.
Nebraska, Colorado, and South Dakota hold the top three slots for accepted acres for all 2026 CRP enrollment opportunities.
USDA news release
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