MN CREP for SWCDs

Minnesota CREP Guidance Materials

CREP is an offshoot of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), the country’s largest private-land conservation program. Administered by the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA), CREP targets state-identified, high-priority conservation issues. Five Minnesota state agencies have come together to support MN CREP, including Board of Water and Soil Resources, Department of Agriculture, Department of Health, Department of Natural Resources and Pollution Control Agency. This project is a federal, state, and local partnership and will voluntarily retire environmentally sensitive land using the nationally-recognized Reinvest In Minnesota (RIM) Reserve program. This is accomplished through permanent protection by establishing conservation practices via payments to farmers and agricultural land owners. CREP is implemented locally through Soil and Water Conservation Districts and many other partners.

CREP Amendment and Expansion Snapshots Article

Training & Webinar Information

• June 28, 2018 MN CREP SWCD and FBAP Staff RIM-Specific Training Webinar
  • Webinar Slides (pdf)
• March 2019 MN CREP Wetland Restoration Training
  • Session 1 General Program Topics (pdf)
  • Session 2 Wetland Restoration Overview (pdf)
  • Session 3 Preparing and Scoring Applications (pdf)
  • Session 4 Group Exercise (pdf)
  • Session 5 Establishing Conservation Practices (pdf)
  • Session 6 Vegetation Establishment-Alexandria (pdf)
  • Session 7 Practice Implementation-Construction (pdf)
  • Session 8 Misc Program Topics (pdf)
• May 30, 2019 MN CREP Training Webinar
  • Webinar Slides (pdf)
  • Webinar Q and A (pdf)
• February 27, 2020 MN CREP Training Webinar
  • Webinar Recording
  • Webinar Slides (pdf)
• March 18, 2025: CREP Amendment Training
  • Webinar Recording
• April 14, 2025: CREP Wetland Restoration and Application Workbook Training
  • Webinar Recording

Signup Documents and Supporting Information

MN CREP Easement Application Module Login

MNCREP Application Workbook v10 (xlsm)

Applications Documents:

• Agreement Information Form (docx)
• W-9 Form (pdf)
• USDA-FSA PII Release Consent Form (docx)
• General Program Guidance (pdf)
• Sign-up Guide (pdf)
• Cultural Resource Process for CP-23 and CP-23a Wetland Practices (pdf)
• CP-2 USDA Field Office Technical Guide Suitability and Feasibility Worksheet (pdf)
• CP-2 USDA Field Office Technical Guide Implementation Requirements for CREP III (pdf)

Scoresheet Instructions:

• CP-2 & CP-21 Scoresheet Instructions (pdf)
• CP-23 & CP-23a Scoresheet Instructions (pdf)
• CP-2 Scoresheet Instructions (pdf)

Supporting Information:

• GIS Tips for Mapping Easement Polygons (pdf)
• Payment Estimate Guide (pdf)
• MN Department of Agriculture Corporate Farm Law Webpage
• Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) Seeding Calculator Workbook – 8/2018 (xlsm)

Geospatial Resources

• Additional Wildlife Benefits (zip)
• MN Prairie Plan Core and Corridors (zip)
• Drinking Water Management Supply Area (DWSMA) Vulnerability
• Wellhead Protection Areas
• MN Wildlife Action Plan WAN Layer
• Minnesota Biological Survey Sites of Biodiversity Significance
• LSOHC Planning Sections
• USFWS Shapefiles
• USDA Forest Service Forest to Faucets Important Watersheds for Surface Drinking Water Index
• Vulnerable Groundwater Areas (Coarse Texture Soils & Karst)

Marketing Templates

MN CREP and CCRP News Release (docx)

MN CREP News Release (docx): use this template to share important MN CREP news with your local media

MN CREP Expiring CRP News Release (docx): Over 96,000 acres of CRP are set to expire this year and MN CREP is an available option for enrollment. Use this template to inform landowners in your District.

MN CREP Five Things Handout (docx): Do you have an upcoming event and need something to promote MN CREP? We’ve created a handout with five reasons for people to sign up for MN CREP.

MN CREP Radio Ad (docx): Need help with advertising MN CREP locally? Download a template for a 30 second radio spot for use in your area. Fill in your name and contact information and you’re all set!

Desk Signage

MN CREP Desk Sign (pdf) 

MN CREP Expiring CRP Acres Desk Sign (pdf): MN CREP is an option for CRP acres that are expiring in September

Logos

 

MN CREP Logo (pdf)

Minnesota CREP Logo (pdf)

Banners

Have a booth at a public event? Need a display sign for an upcoming presentation? We have pull-up MN CREP banners available for checkout. Send an email to bwsr.rim@state.mn.us and provide your name, contact information, and the dates you need the banner. We’ll send it out to you for your use, along with a way to return it to us. Please provide at least two weeks’ notice for banner request.

Landowner Profiles

We are creating a series of landowner profiles to share stories about why people sign up for MN CREP, and how they feel about it. Feel free to use these profiles to engage landowners through advertisements, newsletters, flyers or emails.

There are two types of profiles in the areas listed for your use:

1. A landowner profile with background to share with your local news or area landowners.
2. A short quote version for sharing with your local paper, in newsletters, or other communication material

Hills, Minnesota

• Rock County Story Profile (pdf)
• Rock County Quote Profile (pdf)

Freeborn County

• Bear Lake Watershed Landowner Story Profile (pdf)
• Bear Lake Watershed Landowner Quote Profile (pdf)
• Lake Geneva Landowner Story Profile (pdf)
• Lake Geneva Landowner Quote Profile (pdf)

Contact BWSR if you have a landowner in your area that should be highlighted.

 

CREP Amendment Map (PDF)