Pennsylvania Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program
CREP
Start to Finish
What you need to know!
• Land must have been in annually-tilled crop (corn, beans, wheat, etc.) two of the last five years, or
be pasture ground along a stream that will be planted to trees.
• Long-term hay land is not eligible.
• All cropping history must be certified to the FSA office. If the producer never reported crops to the
FSA office, it is the landowner’s responsibility to supply this information on maps provided by FSA
and verified with two unrelated signatures.
• Land must meet erodibility criteria as determined by soil type and slope during NRCS field visit.
• CRP contracts enrolled after September 11, 1995, and prematurely withdrawn for any reason, are
not eligible to be enrolled in CREP.
• All crops must be removed before a contract is started. Any unharvested crops remaining after the
contract starts cannot be harvested.
• All contracts begin the 1st of the month after FSA County Committee’s approval of the contract.
• All owners on the deed MUST sign the contract.
• Landowner’s must obtain the signature of the most recent producer stating that the producer is
voluntarily stopping production on land so that it can be enrolled in CREP (including a Verbal
Lease).
•
It is the landowner’s responsibility to arrange for the timely establishment of the required practices.
This includes all aspects of establishment such as soil testing and subsequent liming and fertilization,
seed ordering, ground preparation, planting, and follow-up establishment maintenance if necessary.
NRCS staff can provide assistance in arranging details of establishment where needed.
• Landowners are responsible for all up-front costs of establishment.
• Reimbursement for installation of CREP practices is 100% paid in two parts.
•
Federal (50%) and State (50%) reimbursement will follow the completion of the required
seeding, fertilizing, etc. as required in the conservation plan.
• High priority practices have a Sign-up Incentive Payment (SIP) & Practice I