This dataset contains information regarding the acreages of land currently (as of 2004) enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) distributed by county and the year the CRP contract was initiated (1987-2004, excluding 1994 and 1995). Additionally, it contains total acreages of land enrolled in the CRP distributed by county and the contract year (1987-2003). USDA Farm Service Agency's (FSA) Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is a voluntary program available to agricultural producers to help them safeguard environmentally sensitive land. Producers enrolled in CRP plant long-term, resource-conserving covers to improve the quality of water, control soil erosion, and enhance wildlife habitat. In return, FSA provides participants with rental payments and cost-share assistance. Contract duration is between 10 and 15 years. Acreage enrolled in the CRP is planted to resource-conserving vegetative covers, making the program a major contributor to increased wildlife populations in many parts of the country.
These spatial data were created by cross-referencing a base map of counties in the western U.S. with tabular data provided by: (1) Data in the columns labeled by year indicate the "Total All Practices" acreage entered into active CRP contracts in that county in that year.
(2) Information requested under the Freedom of Information Act (USDA Case#2004-180) Although the CRP Program continues, and new lands are entered into contracts and some contracted lands expire, this map is static as of the publication date because it was created for a specific analysis. A user could update this dataset by editing the attribute table with new data as it is produced.