The fight for a stronger CRP continues — here's how you can help
By Andrew Schmidt
2025 has been a busy year in Washington, D.C. From a transition to a new presidential administration, to a wide-ranging reconciliation package, to the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, there has been a lot of news coming out of our nation's capital. But for the third year in a row, one notable and very important piece of legislation was missing: a full, five-year farm bill.
After one-year extensions in both 2023 and 2024, the 2018 Farm Bill expired at the end of September and was, once again, extended for one more year as part of the continuing resolution passed by Congress in November. So, what does this mean for the programs we care about, and where do we go from here?
Conservation Reserve Program
First and foremost, a one-year extension means the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Conservation Reserve Program has authority for new enrollments through September 2026. Now in its 40th year, CRP is one of the most effective and successful conservation programs in our nation's history. Just in September, USDA's Farm Service Agency announced 1.8 million acres accepted into the program—effectively bringing CRP to full enrollment. With another 1.5 million acres expiring at the end of FY26, it is critical that CRP is fully operational to give producers the option to reenroll expiring contracts and offer new acres.
Now more than ever, CRP is a vital part of the economic and ecological safety net for rural America. There is still much work to be done to strengthen the program for the future, but this extension is good news for hunters, agricultural producers, and rural communities.
NRCS Farm Bill Programs
While the extension was needed to keep CRP operational in the new fiscal year, this was not the case for farm bill programs administered by another USDA agency, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). These programs were included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed earlier this year, which authorized them through 2031. Crucially, that legislation reinvested all remaining conservation dollars from the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 into the farm bill's permanent baseline, ensuring that NRCS can continue delivering voluntary, incentive-based conservation at a scale that meets the needs of working lands and rural America.
The bill also provided NRCS with $70 million for the Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program, another top PF & QF farm bill priority. This investment will help states expand and strengthen walk-in access programs nationwide—supporting habitat improvements, boosting rural economies, and creating more opportunities for upland hunters and outdoor recreation.
What's Next for the Farm Bill?
With two of PF & QF's top priorities—long-term conservation funding and support for VPA-HIP—addressed in this summer's reconciliation package, our primary farm bill objective now is securing a strong and durable Conservation Reserve Program. Strengthening CRP means providing producers with the tools and incentives they need to manage risk and conserve marginal and environmentally sensitive acres while improving soil health, enhancing water quality, and creating wildlife habitat, all while supporting rural economies.
This work includes modernizing rental rates, improving incentives for high-priority practices, and advancing the provisions found in the bipartisan CRP Improvement and Flexibility Act, introduced this past summer. That legislation—introduced in both the Senate and House—would enhance cost-share for producers, adjust payment limitations to account for inflation and changes in land values, and increase flexibility for emergency forage use in times of drought. These updates will help keep CRP responsive and accessible for farming families while improving outcomes for upland wildlife and rural communities
Your Voice Matters!
PF & QF will continue championing a stronger CRP—working with USDA to maximize existing authorities, engaging with congressional offices, and partnering with states, chapters, and conservation and agriculture stakeholders. But we can't do it alone — contact your elected officials today to urge them to make CRP a top priority in the next farm bill.
As the process moves from conversation to action, we will be at the table fighting for policies that support working lands and agricultural operations, invest in rural communities, and deliver more quality habitat and access on the ground for the wildlife, producers, and hunters who depend on it.