Landowners interested in signing up for CRP, may qualify to receive additional state and federal funding through CREP. By combining federal, state, and private resources, CREP provides landowners with an additional financial package for conserving and enhancing natural resources on farms located within the Tippecanoe Watershed.
CREP will allow farmers in the Tippecanoe Watershed to take sensitive farmland out of agricultural production and provide them with financial incentives to offset the cost of production. Landowners can enhance these sensitive areas by applying conservation practices that will protect the water quality in this watershed. Counties in the Tippecanoe Watershed include Benton, Carroll, Cass, Fulton, Jasper, Kosciusko, Marshall, Miami, Noble, Pulaski, Starke, Tippecanoe, White, and Whitley.
The actual amount of federal dollars landowners will receive to participate in CREP is highly variable. The determination of the total amount landowners will receive includes the soil rental rates, cost of installation of conservation practices, annual maintenance costs and any special incentives.
One-time state incentives, depending on the conservation practices applied, will range from $100 to $400 per acre. In addition, a one-time payment of $500 per acre may be available to those landowners who voluntarily enroll in a permanent easement within Tippecanoe Watershed. Also, a one-time payment of $250 per acre may be available for those who voluntarily enroll in a 10-year state extension program. Conservation practices eligible for various CREP payments include: Establishment of permanent native grasses Hardwood tree planting Permanent wildlife habitat, non-easement Riparian buffer Filter strips Wetland restoration Wetland restoration, non-floodplain Bottomland timber establishment on wetlands
To learn more about the CREP or CRP, contact your local Soil & Water Conservation District or ISDA-Division of Soil Conservation CREP Coordinator, Celia Tharp: ctharp@isda.in.gov (547)583-5962 x103.