ORGANIC FARMERS’ GUIDE TO THE CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM FIELD BORDER BUFFER INITIATIVE 1 1 BACKGROUND TABLE OF CONTENTS On February 26, 2016, USDA announced the launch of a new conservation option for organic farmers– BACKGROUND ........................................... 2 cost-share and land rental payments for field border buffers through the Continuous Conservation Reserve ELIGIBILITY ................................................. 2 Program (CCRP). The new organic buffer initiative aims to establish up to 20,000 acres of conservation field PROGRAM BASICS .................................... 3 border buffers. PRACTICES AND EXTRA PAYMENTS ........ 3 Field border buffers are any number of practices that a farmer might establish by using non-cropped vegetative cover (such as grasses, trees, or forbs) at the edges of PRODUCER PROFILES ................................ 8 fields. APPLICATION PROCESS ............................ 10 Organic farming already provides multiple environmental benefits, including improving soil health, MORE INFORMATION ............................... 10 protecting water quality, and increasing biodiversity. The new organic buffers initiative will allow producers to further enhance positive environmental outcomes by removing nutrients, trapping sediment, creating habitat for pollinators, and reducing pesticide and genetic drift from neighboring farms. In addition, field border buffers can help organic producers meet National Organic Program (NOP) certification requirements for natural resource and biodiversity conservation. 2 ELIGIBILITY To utilize this new opportunity for establishing field border buffers, a farm needs to be enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). To be eligible to enroll in CRP, including CCRP (which is a subset of CRP), a producer must have owned or operated the land for at least 12 months preceding the first year of the contract period, unless: • The new owner acquired the land due to the previous owner’s death; • The ownership change occurred due to a foreclosure; or • FSA is otherwise satisfied that the new owner did not acquire the land for the purpose of placing it in CRP. To be eligible for CRP, land must be: • Highly erodible cropland that is planted or considered planted in 4 of the previous 6 crop years, and that can be planted in a normal manner; • Marginal pasture that is suitable for use as a riparian buffer or for similar habitat or water quality purposes; • Ecologically significant grasslands that contain forbs or shrubs for grazing; or • A farmable wetland and related buffers. photo credit: flickr user TowleN 2 cover photo credit: USDA NRCS National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition For CCRP, offers that meet eligibility requirements • Incentive Payments: For some practices, are automatically accepted into the program, USDA also provides rental rate incentive without any competitive bidding. payments, signing incentive payments (SIPs), and installation cost share, known as practice No crops may be grown on the buffers, nor incentive payments (PIPs). See below for can they be used for roads or lanes. Managed more information on practices and payments haying and grazing is also not allowed on buffers. under the organic buffer initiative. Incidental grazing of the buffer is permissible, but doing so reduces the rental rate being paid for the See below for a hypothetical example of a buffer by at least 25 percent. Recreational hunting producer weighing financial considerations before is permitted in accordance with state law. installing a buffer practice. 3 PROGRAM BASICS 4 PRACTICES AND EXTRA PAYMENTS USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) enrolls CCRP eligible practices include riparian buffers, most CRP acres during periodic “general sign- wildlife habitat buffers, wetland buffers, filter ups,” through which land is bid into the program strips, wetland restoration, grass waterways, on a competitive basis and ranked based on shelterbelts, windbreaks, living snow fences, environmental benefits and cost. General sign-ups contour grass strips, salt tolerant vegetation, and occur periodically, not necessarily every year, at shallow water areas for wildlife. To learn more special times announced by USDA. about the full range of practices and what they look like on the land, visit the NRCS website. However, CRP also has a continuous signup option, CCRP, which pays farmers to install partial field Under the new organic initiative, farmers are free conservation practices, primarily conservation to use whichever CCRP eligible practice or suite buffers or wildlife habitat. of practices that best suits their particular needs. In most cases, we believe farmers will be most Farmers and landowners may enroll in CCRP at interested in the following practices: any time rather than waiting for specific sign- up periods. Unlike general sign-ups, there is • If a particular field borders a stream, either no bidding and ranking; the land is enrolled the filter strip or the riparian buffer practice automatically if it meets the eligibility criteria (more will be best suited to that particular border. on that above). • If a farm is located in an area where trees are well suited and high winds a consideration, All types of CRP contracts are for either 10 or 15 the windbreak option may be suitable. years, with the longer 15-year agreements intended • In most other instances, the two practices for tree plantings. At the end of a contract, that are likely to be adaptable as field borders landowners have the option of re-enrolling for are the pollinator habitat practice or the another term. upland buffers practice. FSA provides program participants with annual Each state has specific guidelines and instructions rental payments, including certain incentive for how to implement these practices. You should payments, and cost-share assistance as follows: talk to your state FSA office to determine what exactly is required for each practice in your state. • Rental Payments: FSA bases rental rates However, there are some basic criteria that must on the productivity of the soils within each be followed regardless of where you are located. county and the average dryland cash rent. The maximum rental rate for each offer is calculated in advance of enrollment in the program. Producers may offer land at that rate or offer a lower rental rate to increase the likelihood that their offer will be accepted. • Cost-share Assistance: Generally, FSA provides up to 50 percent cost-share to establish the appropriate cover on the land. FSA may also provide mid-contract management cost share, depending on the practice. photo credit: USDA 3 PRACTICES 101: Definitions Filter Strips Filter strips are areas of non-cropped vegetative cover (such as grass) between a farm field and a waterway. Used to slow water runoff from a field, they can intercept sediment, nutrients, and other pollutants before they reach a river, lake or stream. Riparian Buffers Riparian buffers are strips of trees between a farm field and a waterway that can intercept pollutants from surface runoff and groundwater before they reach a river or stream. They also provide habitat for wildlife and enhance fish habitat. Windbreak Windbreaks are rows of trees or shrubs surrounding a farm field to shelter the field from wind. Windbreaks reduce soil erosion, intercept chemical drift, and sequester carbon. Pollinator Habitat Pollinator habitat provides nectar and shelter for pollinators such as bees and butterflies, as well as habitat for other beneficial insects. Pollinator habitat can also improve water quality and limit erosion. Upland Buffers Upland buffers are installed as strips of non-cropped vegetative cover (such as grass, wildflowers, and forbs) along field borders to provide bird habitat. As with other buffer practices, they limit erosion and protect water quality. Shelterbelt Establishment, Non-Easement A shelterbelt is one or more rows of trees and shrubs used to reduce wind erosion and protect farmsteads and livestock from wind. photo credits: USDA NRCS (1-2), Rosmann Family Farm (3), USDA NRCS (4-6) 4 National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Windbreak Practice Code: CP-5A Windbreaks should be installed according to the specifications outlined in your state’s Field Office Technical Guide. Your local FSA and NRCS field staff will guide you through this process. Windbreaks must be devoted to trees or shrubs, and must reduce soil erosion below the NRCS soil loss tolerance level. Shelterbelt Establishment, Non-Easement Practice Code: CP-16A Shelterbelts should be installed according to the specifications outlined in your state’s Field Office Technical Guide. Your local FSA and NRCS field staff will guide you through this process. A shelterbelt may be applied up to a maximum width of up to 2 times the design standard for protecting farmsteads or livestock areas, if requested by the producer to accomplish the purpose of protecting farmsteads or livestock areas. Pollinator Habitat Practice Code: CP-42 This practice pays producers to establish and maintain pollinator habitat. Normally, if not planted in whole fields, block plantings of CP-42 are preferred over strips. However, for field border purposes, strips are the most likely choice. If planted in strips, each strip must be a minimum of 20 feet wide. Habitat areas of CP-42 must be at least 0.5 acres each. Seeding mixes shall contain a minimum of nine species of pollinator-friendly wildflowers, legumes, and/or shrubs. More than nine species are encouraged. Trees are not an eligible component