WASHINGTON, D.C. (RFD NEWS) — USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program has become an important tool for farmers and ranchers working to support conservation and environmental sustainability.
The program, which dates back to the 1985 Farm Bill, includes three contract categories: General CRP, Continuous CRP and Grasslands CRP.
Cameron Castillo, an associate economist with the American Farm Bureau Federation, joined us on Thursday’s Market Day Report to discuss the conservation program.
In his interview with RFD News, Castillo says each category has its own characteristics and benefits. He notes that enrollment has continued to grow toward the 27-million-acre statutory cap Congress set in the 2018 Farm Bill.
How Grasslands CRP Differs
Castillo says Grasslands CRP differs from General and Continuous CRP because it lets producers keep using enrolled pastureland for grazing and haying.
General and Continuous CRP are considered land-retirement programs, while Grasslands CRP allows some production to continue through livestock grazing or haying.
The Grasslands category was established through the 2014 Farm Bill and has continued to grow.
According to the most recent Farm Service Agency numbers available to Castillo, from April 2026, Grasslands CRP accounted for the most acreage enrolled in the program, surpassing General and Continuous CRP.
Castillo says Grasslands CRP has become an important tool for farmers and ranchers, particularly across the middle of the United States, from the Texas Panhandle to the Canadian border and into eastern New Mexico.
He says the program can also help producers diversify their income streams.
CRP and Regenerative Agriculture
Castillo says participation in CRP also connects with the broader conversation surrounding regenerative agriculture and sustainability.
He says American farmers and ranchers have practiced conservation and innovation for generations, describing them as the country’s “original conservationists.”
Castillo says many of the practices and tools now associated with regenerative agriculture have been part of the broader conservation story in farming and ranching for hundreds of years.
That includes land-retirement programs such as CRP, as well as working-lands programs including Grasslands CRP, EQIP and CSP, which is administered by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Castillo says farmers and ranchers have continued to innovate in conservation and will continue those efforts.
