Contact: Mary Juhl; mary.juhl@state.mn.us, 612-358-5733
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency (USDA-FSA) are expanding the Minnesota Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (MN CREP) to provide additional water quality, habitat and economic benefits to Minnesota communities.
MN CREP is a voluntary conservation program that permanently protects environmentally sensitive land in targeted Minnesota counties by leveraging state and federal funds. A recently approved amendment to the original MN CREP agreement authorized in 2017 will expand opportunities to 12 additional counties.
“Expanding this program will benefit Minnesota’s farmers, environment, and economy,” said Governor Tim Walz. “By helping landowners conserve our most vulnerable ecosystems, we are making Minnesota more resilient to climate change, improving access to clean water, and supporting our farmers. I’m grateful for the federal government’s support of this important program.”
Landowners participating in MN CREP enroll in the USDA-FSA- administered Conservation Reserve Program for 14-15 years, and in the BWSR-administered Reinvest in Minnesota Reserve program — a state-funded perpetual conservation easement program.
“MN CREP presents Minnesota landowners with a unique opportunity to preserve their legacy by dedicating marginal cropland to conservation purposes,” said BWSR Executive Director John Jaschke. “Conservation lands protected via MN CREP offer multiple benefits including enhanced habitat, improved water quality and increased floodwater storage.”
“This expanded partnership with the state of Minnesota is a testament to the power of collaboration and allows us to leverage both federal and state dollars to address locally driven natural resource concerns,” said USDA-FSA Administrator Zach Ducheneaux. “By including additional counties in the existing agreement, we can now offer the benefits of CREP participation to more Minnesota landowners, building on the program’s already proven conservation successes across the state.”