Proposed CREP highlights
Elements of Minnesota's proposed $800 million Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program:
• 100,000 acres of private land around streams and in wetlands to be set aside under perpetual easements
• Targets western and southern Minnesota, where intensive farming has depleted pheasant populations and polluted surface water and drinking water
• Buffer strips of prairie grass and other vegetation would filter farm runoff and create wildlife habitat
• Action needed to address the pending expiration of 500,000 idle farm acres now tied to CRP contracts
• Participating farmers would get paid for 15 years at higher rates than standard CRP contracts
• Not directly tied to Minnesota's 2015 buffer strip legislation
• USDA would cover 80 percent of the funding
