There are so many farmers applying to idle their land -- opting to take government payments in lieu of planting crops -- that the Department of Agriculture is extending the enrollment period for a week.

The USDA would not release any data on new applicants for the land idling program, but spokesman Matt Herrick said officials there were surprised because strong crop prices had been expected to dampen interest.

Now farmers will have until Apr. 13 to apply for the Conservation Reserve program, or CRP. The program is designed to take the most environmentally sensitive land out of production.

The USDA is anxious to sign up more land to enter the program because on Sept. 30 contracts that keep about 6.5 million acres of potential farm land idle will expire.

About 30 million acres are idled under the program currently, but the 6.5-million-acre exodus will be the largest ever, USDA Under Secretary Michael Scuse said recently.

"Due to strong interest in CRP, the decision was made to extend CRP sign-up 43 for an additional week," USDA Farm Service Agency Administrator Bruce Nelson said Wednesday. "Whether new enrollees or re-enrolling existing CRP contracts, producers who sign up for CRP help to conserve land and improve our soil, water, air and wildlife habitat resources."

The USDA spends about $1.8 billion a year on the program, paying "rent" to land owners, but government costs will likely go up because the USDA will have to pay more to compete with high crop prices that farmers can get for commodities such as corn.

-By Bill Tomson, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-646-0088 202-646-0088; bill.tomson@dowjones.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
April 04, 2012 17:46 ET (21:46 GMT)
DJ USDA Extends Time For Farmer Application To Idle Land->copyright