06/28/06 CRP Deadline & Higher Priced Vegs

CRP Deadline & Higher Price for Vegetables. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture. The deadline for CRP holders that have contracts expiring between 2008 and 2010 have until this Friday to apply for re-enrollment or extension. Conservation Reserve Contracts or CRP is a voluntary program for agricultural landowners. Through CRP, you can receive annual rental payments and cost-share assistance to establish long-term, resource conserving covers on eligible farmland. Farm Service Agency Deputy Administrator John Johnson says 160,000 eligible CRP participants have received a notification. Johnson recent contract reacceptance numbers have been some of the highest acceptance rates for CRP contract by FSA in recent memory. JOHNSON: Of all the folks who had contracts expiring in 2007, 84 percent of them have chosen to take us up on our offer for either reenrollment of a whole new contract or an extension of 5,4,3 or 2 years. We're going through the same process now with 12 million acres involved there, we'll have those results in July sometime as to what percentage of folks took us up on those offers but I expect it'll probably be in the same ballpark. Ag secretary Mike Johanns said quote, "I encourage all eligible farmers and ranchers to take advantage of the Conservation Reserve Program enrollment options. Farmers can maintain their significant soil, water, air and wildlife habitat benefits by re-enrolling and extending their CRP contracts." For more information on CRP, contact your local FSA office or visit the FSA Web site, www.fsa.usda.gov. Get ready to pay more for fresh vegetables. Even though you may be paying a little less for your fresh produce so far this year as compared to last year when hurricane damage disrupted production and caused priced to increase, don't expect it to continue. USDA's Economist Gary Lucier says prices will be going up and could average higher than last year. LUCIER: A lot of it is because of the increased costs that are creeping into the industry for things like energy related items like fuel and fertilizers and also for packaging and transport. A lot of these items are transports across the country from places like California and Arizona and it's very expensive to ship a truckload of lettuce from California to New York. You should expect to see fresh vegetable prices to increase 3 ½ to 4 ½ percent higher than that of last year and overall food prices will be rising only 2 to 3 percent. That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.