10/04/06 CRP payments going out

Farm and Ranch October 4, 2006 Farmers, ranchers and landowners with land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program should soon be getting their fiscal year 2007 payment. Johnson: "We will start issuing those payments of 1.8 billion dollars in rental payments to contract holders all across the country this week." That's Farm Service Agency Deputy Administrator John Johnson. He says when you do the math it comes out to an average payment $48.88 per acre. Johnson: "We have over 730-thousand contracts on over 425-thousand farms." Rental payments and enrolled acreage this fiscal year reflect a continuing increase in both categories with room to enroll more land in CRP if need be. Johnson: "We have authority in the Farm Bill to enroll up to 39.2 million acres. Our current enrollment stands at just over 36 million acres." That 36 million acres includes 32.4 million in general sign up CRP and 3.6 million for CRP's continuous sign up. In the Pacific Northwest payments in Washington are the largest for CRP at about 78 million dollars for nearly 1.5 million acres. CRP payments in Idaho total about 31 million for over 800-thousand acres. And in Oregon CRP payments are about 26.5 million for 542 thousand acres. Producers enrolled in CRP plant long term, resource conserving cover to improve water quality, control erosion and enhance wildlife habitat. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.