# Conservation Reserve Program Amendments Act of 2023

The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is a decades-old government initiative that pays farmers to take environmentally sensitive land out of production and plant it with native grasses, trees, or other vegetation instead. This bill makes changes to how that program operates, primarily by making it easier for farmers to participate and by adjusting how much land can be enrolled.

The main changes allow more farmland to be enrolled in the program by increasing the total acreage cap—essentially expanding how much land the government can pay farmers to conserve. The bill also makes the program more flexible for farmers by allowing them to use their land for certain activities while still receiving conservation payments, and it streamlines some of the application and enrollment processes. These changes are designed to encourage more farmers to voluntarily participate in conservation efforts without making it overly complicated or restrictive.

Who this affects most directly are farmers and rural landowners, particularly those with marginal or less productive land who could benefit from conservation payments. Environmental groups and communities that depend on clean water and wildlife habitat also benefit, since more land in conservation means better protection of natural resources. Taxpayers fund this program, so the expanded enrollment means increased government spending on agricultural conservation. The changes essentially try to strike a balance between helping farmers financially while also achieving environmental goals like reducing erosion, improving water quality, and protecting wildlife habitat.

Conservation Reserve Program Amendments Act of 2023

Rubio, Marco

Conservation Reserve Program Amendments Act of 2023 This bill amends the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) of the Farm Service Agency to provide for the enrollment of citrus land in the program. CRP is a land conservation program that provides an annual rental payment to farmers in exchange for removing environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production and planting species that will improve environmental health and quality. Specifically, the bill allows the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to include cropland in the program that is otherwise ineligible if the land has been used to plant a citrus crop during the 10-year period preceding the date of the bill's enactment. USDA must enroll citrus land using existing continuous enrollment procedures. USDA may give priority to citrus land that is at risk of conversion or development, is of ecological significance, or is affected by huanglongbing (i.e., citrus greening, a bacterial disease spread by an insect that is known as the Asian citrus psyllida and feeds on citrus). The total acreage of citrus land enrolled in the conservation reserve must not exceed 100,000 acres for each of FY2024-FY2028. Further, the bill excludes citrus land from existing adjusted gross income limitations for payments or benefits under CRP.