Expiring CRP Options –
Conservation Buffers 2
Grassed Waterways, Field Borders, and
Filters Strips
Helping People Help the Land
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service - North Dakota
February 2008
North Dakota landowners and producers have enrolled over 3 million acres into the
Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Establishment of CRP cover (grass, legumes, trees,
and shrubs) has resulted in tremendous environmental benefits to our landscape. CRP has
greatly reduced sediment, nutrients, and pesticides in our water resources while providing
benefits to resident and migratory wildlife.
As your CRP contract nears its end, you will be making decisions on what to do next with your
land. While much of the CRP land in North Dakota is productive and likely will go back into crop
or hay production, many acres of CRP land are environmentally sensitive and are not
recommended for annual crop production. There are areas in most CRP fields that if
maintained and managed as permanent cover will provide both protection to our rivers, lakes
and wetlands, while reducing input costs on lower productivity land.
Consider maintaining or establishing areas of permanent vegetation on these critical parts of the
landscape. Known as conservation buffers, these patches of vegetation have the potential to:
Reduce the amount of sediment reaching a stream by up to 80%
Reduce nitrogen in near surface ground water by up to 90%
Increase crop yields by 10-30%, depending upon the crop and the buffer
Reduce snow removal costs by thousands of dollars per mile of road
Protect fields from flood damage and flood debris
Reduce drain and road ditch maintenance costs
Reduce nutrients and pesticides in runoff water
Squaring up fields for ease of crop production
Diversify wildlife habitat opportunities
Consider re-enrolling your eligible acres of expiring CRP contract cover into one or more of the
following CRP practices to protect soil and water quality. The existing