As of March 11 — the general Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) signup deadline – only 1.8 of the 4 million acres in expiring contracts will be re-enrolled in the program. Approximately 52% to 56% of the maturing acres were not offered during the general signup and new contracts were offered on 800,000 acres, totaling a 1.4-million-acre net loss in total CRP acres.

Previously, U.S. Ag Secretary Vilsack estimated a net loss of about 1.5 million acres. Because of the loss, Vilsack says there’s no reason for him to open CRP acres to emergency cropping in light of the crisis in Ukraine.

Read more on CRP acres here.