CRP is a complicated issue. Lots of reasons why we've lost so much of it. Partly due to efforts to cut federal spending. Partly because a lot of farmers pulled out of it when they were able to do so--because, a few years ago, commodity prices (mainly corn, soybeans, and wheat) were very high. And they could make more growing crops than they got in a set-aside check from Uncle Sam.
Then there's the Renewable Fuels Mandate. Although there is no longer an ethanol subsidy as such, there is a requirement to produce so much ethanol to be blended with gasoline. And nearly all of that ethanol is made from corn.
Agree on the ag runoff (non-point source pollution) rules. Definitely need stricter enforcement. But although CRP acres overall are being reduced, the "permanent" CRP title--which includes stream buffers, and which allow most landowners with waterways that run through fields in which row crops are planted to establish CRP buffers--is open to continuous enrollment. Landowners receive more per acre for stream buffer CRP than they do for large field CRP.
If the Renewable Fuels Mandate is ever phased out--and it would make sense to do so given the price of oil and the potential for domestic oil production--you will see a HUGE push from the ag sector to turn CRP around and start adding acres rather than further reducing acres. As the ethanol industry stands today, if and when the Renewable Fuels Mandate goes away, corn prices will take a significant nosedive. And they are already very low compared to just a few years ago.
Public access to CRP won't happen. As a matter of fact, the only money landowners can make off CRP acres, in addition to their check from the govt, comes via charging for "recreational access" (like hunting and fishing). So if you have permission to hunt on CRP ground without paying for it, consider yourself lucky--because Farmer Jones could tell you "Sure you can hunt my farm. $100 per day per hunter."
Last edited by L. Brown; 04/24/16 05:29 PM.
