WASHINGTON, D.C.--Congressman Frank Lucas joined the House Committee on Agriculture in considering and overwhelmingly passing legislation out of the committee yesterday. The bill would provide a one-year contract for farmers whose Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contracts are expiring, and for whom the uncertainty of enrollment in CRP is creating extreme hardship in fall planting ability.

"H.R. 1342 would serve as a technical correction for farmers," Lucas said. "It will allow farmers, whose CRP contracts are expiring in September, and who without CRP, would choose to produce a fall-planted crop, to enter into a one-year contract while the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) evaluates their CRP bid."

"This bill would help wheat, barley, oats base farmers and their families in predominantly fall-seeded crop areas from possibly living for an entire year with no crop revenue or CRP rental payments," Lucas continued. "Because the evaluation process of the CRP bids will not be completed or announced until June, fall crop farmers who do not receive a renewed 10 year contract, would have an extremely limited window to tear up their grass cover and successfully plant their crop.

"This bill is not an extension," Lucas continued. "After receiving the one-year contract, if the Secretary awards them a new ten-year contract, the short-term contract would be applied toward the newly granted ten-year contract, serving as the first year.

"If they are not accepted into the ten-year program, then they would be out of the program in the coming year and their CRP acres would return to the pool to be awarded to someone else."

"It is our responsibility to offer security to these farmers who, through no fault of their own, have limited planting flexibility," Lucas continued, "and see that the legislative process keeps moving on this bill."

Under CRP, which was reauthorized in the 1996 Farm Bill, landowners enter into contracts with the USDA to place highly erodible and other environmentally sensitive cropland in long-term conservation practices for 10-15 years. In exchange, landowners receive annual rental payments for the land and cost-share assistance for establishing those practices. Of 32.9 million acres currently enrolled nationwide, some 22 million acres are expiring September 30.

House floor action on H.R. 1342 is expected to take place in the coming weeks.