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119-s-1389119th CongressWALLET

Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program Improvement Act of 2025

Sponsored By: Senator Marshall, Roger [R-KS]

Introduced

Summary

Expands and reshapes the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program to cover dryland agriculture and grazing and to change how payments are set. This bill would let landowners spread or vary annual rental payments across CREP contract years, tie drought and water‑conservation payments to irrigated and dryland payment formulas, and exempt CREP rental payments from the $50,000 annual CRP payment cap.

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  • Farmers and landowners: Owners could enroll agricultural land that stays in continuous crop or crop rotation and choose how annual payments are allocated across a contract. Some existing drought and water agreements could be recalculated so owners receive higher payment rates retroactively.
  • Irrigated and drought‑affected operations: Agreements that permanently retire water rights would get payments equal to irrigated acre rates. Agreements that permit dryland uses would get payments equal to the difference between irrigated and dryland acre rates as set by USDA.
  • State, tribal, and nonprofit partners: CREP practice standards would shift to a conservation‑plan framework and certain CREP agreements described in the statute would be required to follow the specified form, clarifying program design and administration.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

1 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.

New conservation payments and rules for farmers

If enacted, owners and operators in certain CREP agreements would get new payment options and rules. You could choose how to spread annual payments across years. If an agreement permanently retires water rights, annual payments would use the irrigated-acre rate the Secretary sets. If an agreement allows dryland farming, annual payments would equal the irrigated-acre rate minus the dryland-acre rate. The Secretary must raise older covered agreements if their current rate is lower than the new dryland-based calculation. CREP rental payments would not count toward the usual program payment cap. The bill would also add dryland uses and grazing to eligible practices, treat land with continuous crops as agricultural land, require conservation plans for certain activities, and make those CREP agreements proceed in the specified form.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Marshall, Roger [R-KS]

KS • R

Cosponsors

  • Sen. Bennet, Michael F. [D-CO]

    CO • D

    Sponsored 4/9/2025

  • Sen. Moran, Jerry [R-KS]

    KS • R

    Sponsored 4/9/2025

  • Sen. Hickenlooper, John W. [D-CO]

    CO • D

    Sponsored 4/9/2025

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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