CREP
Michigan’s CREP was created to help protect our environment and wildlife. Michigan is partnering with the federal government to implement conservation practices of great significance to the state, and valuable to the nation, in matters of soil erosion, water quality and wildlife habitat.

CREP is founded upon the federal Conservation Reserve Pro-gram (CRP), yet differs from the CRP by offering enhanced fi-nancial incentives for participants. In Michigan’s CREP, farmers and other landowners in priority watershed areas agree to enroll eligible parcels of land in the program for 15 years, and establish prescribed conservation practices. In return, landowners receive cost-share assistance in established conservation practices.

Michigan’s CREP will be the largest voluntary environmental improvement program in the state’s history, involving 85,000 acres of land in three watersheds, which will be dedicated to conservation practices. CREP will be key in reducing non-point source pollution in rural areas.

Conservation practices can reduce wind and water erosion by reducing the amount of sediment, nutrients and pesticides enter-ing surface and subsurface waters. The goal of CREP is to install conservation while enhancing wildlife habitats. Landowners may enroll eligible cropland acres into CREP without waiting for an announced sign-up period.

Landowners will have economic benefits through approved rental rates and incentive payments.

River Raisin /Western Lake Erie Basin: Areas highlighted green are eligible for CREP.

Quick Program Information

• 15 year contracts
• Field must have crop history between 2002-2007, 4 out of those 6 years
• Up to 100% cost-share
• Must own the land or present a 15 year lease
• Currently enrolling

CREP practices include:

CP1: Introduced Grasses and Legumes on HEL (highly erod-ible ground) within 1,000’ of water (Counties available: Hills-dale, Jackson, Washtenaw and Lenawee.)

CP2: Native Grasses and Legumes on HEL ground within 1,000’ of water (Counties available: Hillsdale, Jackson, Washtenaw and Lenawee.)

CP5A: Field Windbreak (In CREP it is a combination of multiple rows of trees and shrubs to meet wind erosion and wildlife habitat standards.)

CP21: Filter Strips (A filter strip is a vegetative strip of grass along a ditch, pond, wetland, etc. to help control surface wa-ter flow by slowing and filtering out sediment and other chemicals before going into our water system. In CREP the minimum width is 50’ and the maximum width of 150’.)

CP22: Riparian Forest Buffer (This is a combination of plant-ing trees and grasses along a water source. Widths vary from 50’ to 180’ wide. Available for marginal pastureland.)

CP23: Wetland Restoration, Flood Plain (Restoring natural hydrology to a field were very little excavation is done, tile work is either destroyed or a gated system is added to stop tile from flowing.)

CP23A: Wetland Restoration, Non-Flood Plain (Same as CP23, but not in a flood-plain area.)

CP26: Sediment Retention Control Structure, a.k.a WAS-COB (This practice is available in areas where concentrated flows have started erosion in fields. This is an option if the upper watershed is small enough to hold all water at a dike and drain into a tile system. WASCOBs are usually seen with areas with some slopes in the topography, such as in Hillsdale and Lenawee Counties.)

Warm Season Grasses with wildflowers (Prairie Grasses): One of the mixes used in CREP.

Click here for a printable brochure!

To learn more about the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, contact your local, State, or county FSA office or write to the following address:

USDA FSA Public Affairs Staff
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
STOP 0506
Washington, DC 20250-0506

For the River Raisin Watershed: Lenawee, Monroe, Washtenaw, Jackson and Hillsdale Counties Farm Bill Biologist Lauren Lindemann (phone - 517.263.7400 ext. 119).

CREDIT: Michigan Department of Agriculture, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, Natural Resources Conservation District and Farm Service Agency.