New Grasslands Conservation Opportunity for Small Dairy Operations

On Friday, November 4, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), which administers CRP, announced that up to 200,000 acres would be reserved for the enrollment of small, grass-based dairy operations that have 100 or fewer head of dairy cows. Operations that meet this and the general eligibility criteria for CRP Grasslands can apply to enroll up to 200 acres of grass. See our Grassroots Guide to Federal Farm and Food Programs for full eligibility information and other program details.

The deadline for smaller-scale dairy operations to sign up for this new opportunity is December 16, 2016. However, successful applicants will not actually be enrolled in the program until October 1, 2017, which is the start of the 2018 fiscal year (FY).

For more information on this program see the NSAC Blog.