General signup for the Conservation Reserve Program will begin Mar. 14 and continue through Apr. 15. During the signup period, farmers and ranchers may offer eligible land for CRP’s competitive general signup at their county Farm Service Agency office.

Land currently not enrolled in CRP may be offered in this signup provided all eligibility requirements are met. Additionally, current CRP participants with contracts expiring this fall may make new contract offers. Contracts awarded under this signup are scheduled to become effective Oct. 1, 2011.

FSA, which administers the CRP, will evaluate and rank eligible CRP offers using an Environmental Benefits Index that shows the environmental benefits to be gained from enrolling the land in CRP. The EBI consists of five environmental factors (wildlife, water, soil, air and enduring benefits) and cost. Decisions on the EBI cutoff will be made after the sign-up ends and after analyzing the EBI data of all the offers.

In addition to the general sign-up, CRP’s continuous sign-up program will be ongoing.  Continuous acres represent the most environmentally desirable and sensitive land. For more information, visit http://www.fsa.usda.gov/crp.