The 45th sign-up period for the Conservation Reserve Program begins Monday.
It's designed for farmers and landowners with environmentally sensitive lands.
Craig Trimm, with the USDA's Farm Service Agency, said the first step is to go in to your local FSA office and develop a conservation plan that could include the planting of trees.
"Look at things that maybe they are interested in putting on their acreage. They'll actually submit an offer, make a bid, per se, or rental rate that they're willing to take for their land that they're wanting to put into the Conservation Reserve Program," Trimm said.
Each offer will be evaluated, the rental rate value per acre will be assessed and each offer will then be given a score.
"We'll have a cut-off score that we actually look at and the ones that actually meet that score, or above that score, are the ones that we would accept," Trimm said.
Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack makes the final decisions on which landowners are accepted into the CRP program. Sign-up begins Monday and ends June 14.
Source: brownfieldagnews.com