A coalition of agriculture groups is asking the Biden Administration to allow farmers to plant crops on land set aside through the Conservation Reserve Program. American Farm Bureau, National Grain and Feed Association, Agricultural Retailers Association and others are part of this group, saying the U.S. needs to produce more to offset the loss of Ukrainian crop production. Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm Production and Conservation Robert Bonnie said the CRP ground is too marginal to put into productive crop production. “Even if we were interested, we’re just too late in the crop year. These are marginal lands and the amount of additional production we’d get is less than what you’d see from typical productive crop land.” Bonnie says putting CRP into production could have ripple effects on habitat and commodity markets. “CRP is an incredibly important program from a climate, wildlife, and recreational standpoint.”
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