USDA Doesn’t Intend to Release CRP Acres for Crop Production

A letter obtained by Politico indicates the USDA will not open CRP acres for crop production. In a letter to the National Grain and Feed Association, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said, “Quickly converting this land to crop production is clearly unfeasible.” Vilsack notes that most acres enrolled in CRP are largely non-prime farmland.

The letter comes as some lawmakers want to open CRP acres to offset global food worries stemming from the Russia-Ukraine war.

On Friday, Senator Marco Rubio, a Florida Republican, and Cynthia Lummis, a Wyoming Republican, penned their own letter to Vilsack requesting the action. They urged Vilsack to allow flexibilities for prime agricultural lands under the Conservation Reserve Program.

The Senators write, “Allowing crop production on CRP lands is a critical step for stabilizing food prices that have skyrocketed in recent months.” However, Vilsack said only 1.3% of CRP acres are considered prime farmland.

Click Here to read the entire Vilsack letter.

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