Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP)
The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) is a combination of the state’s Reinvest in Minnesota (RIM) program and the federal Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). The main goal of CREP is to take marginal cropland adjacent to the Minnesota River and its tributaries as well as drained wetland areas out of production to reduce flooding, improve water quality, and increase wildlife habitat. Sign-ups for easements were taken between 1999 and 2003. In the 4 years, there were over 100,000 acres enrolled in the Minnesota River Basin.
In Brown County there are 118 perpetual CREP easements comprising 5,050.5 acres. Every year the Brown SWCD conducts spot checks on a specified number of these easements making sure noxious weeds are controlled and that the acreage is not being cropped or hayed.
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