The U.S. Department of Agriculture will allow Conservation Reserve Program participants who are in the final year of that contract to request voluntary termination of the agreement following the end of the primary nesting season for fiscal year 2022.

Participants approved for this one-time, voluntary termination will not have to repay rental payments, a flexibility implemented this year to help mitigate the global food supply challenges caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and other factors.

USDA also announced May 26 additional flexibilities for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and Conservation Stewardship Program, according to a news release from the Maine USDA Farm Service Agency in Bangor.

“Putin’s unjustified invasion of Ukraine has cut off a critical source of wheat, corn, barley, oilseeds, and cooking oil, and we’ve heard from many producers who want to better understand their options to help respond to global food needs,” said Sherry Hamel, state executive director of USDA’s Farm Service Agency in Maine. “This announcement will help producers make informed decisions about land use and conservation options.”

The agency is mailing letters to producers with expiring acres that detail this flexibility and share other options, such as re-enrolling sensitive acres in the CRP Continuous signup and considering growing organic crops. Producers will be asked to make the request for voluntary termination in writing through their local USDA Service Center.

If approved for voluntary termination, preparations can occur after the conclusion of the primary nesting season. Producers will then be able to hay, graze, begin land preparation activities and plant a fall-seeded crop before Oct. 1. For land in colder climates, this flexibility may allow for better establishment of a winter wheat crop or better prepare the land for spring planting.

Producers and landowners can learn more by contacting FSA and the Natural Resources Conservation Service at their local USDA Service Center.

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