USDA's primary land retirement programs are the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and the Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP). Started in 1986, the CRP has retired over 34 million acres of environmentally sensitive cropland under 10-to 15-year contracts. The WRP, started in 1992, protects over 1.6 million acres of wetlands, primarily using permanent asements.
Farmland tenure shapes many farm decisions, including those related to production, conservation, and succession planning. The relatively advanced age of many farmers raises questions abut land ownership, especially how land will be transferred to the next generation of agricultural landowners and operators. This study provides a descriptive baseline analysis of land ownership and then focuses on more detailed aspects of land tenure, including non-operator landlords, rental agreements, the acquisition and transfer of land, and how decisionmaking is shared by landlords and their tenants. The report is designed to support broad discussions related to agricultural land ownership and to provide a starting point for more detailed statistical analysis. Figures and tables. This is a print on demand report.
Beginning, limited-resource, and socially disadvantaged farmers make up 40% of all U.S. farms. Some Federal conservation programs contain provisions that encourage participation by such ¿targeted¿ farmers. This report compares the natural resource characteristics, resource issues, and conservation treatment costs on farms operated by targeted farmers with those of other participants. Targeted farmers tend to operate more environmentally sensitive land than other farmers, have different conservation priorities, and receive different levels of payments. The different conservation priorities among types of farmers suggest that if a significantly larger proportion of targeted farmers participate in these programs, the programs¿ economic and environmental outcomes could change. Tables and graphs.
Provides information on incentive-based conservation programs to agriculture land users since FY 1992, including information on their budget and level of activity, and on the primary purpose of the conservation measures taken under the programs. Also identifies potential options for consolidating these programs. 63 charts and tables