Hunters, Anglers, and Conservation Groups Call on Senate to Strengthen the Conservation Reserve Program in 2026 Farm Bill
Sportsmen’s and conservation groups send letter to Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee urging long-overdue funding and updates for CRP as Farm Bill negotiations advance. e subhead goes here and only the beginning word is capitalized
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, 51 conservation and sportsmen’s organizations sent a letter to the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee expressing strong support for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) as the Committee prepares to consider a 2026 Farm Bill. Now in its 40th year, CRP is one of USDA’s flagship voluntary conservation programs and one of the most powerful tools available for creating and restoring the wildlife habitat that hunters and anglers depend on – while also delivering significant benefits for farmers, ranchers, wildlife, soil health, and water quality across the country.
The letter urges the Committee to increase resources in the Farm Bill’s conservation title to deliver meaningful investment and improvements to CRP. Despite the program’s proven success and widespread popularity among producers and landowners, CRP has been operating under short-term extensions since 2023 and has not received substantive policy updates or new resources since the 2018 Farm Bill – even as Congress made historic investments in all other major Farm Bill conservation programs.
“Habitat makes opportunity, and no USDA program creates more habitat that benefits both producers and hunters and anglers than the Conservation Reserve Program,” said Aaron Field, director of private lands conservation at the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. “CRP has a long track record of supporting wildlife, improving water quality, and expanding access to quality hunting and fishing opportunities, while keeping working lands working. With a 2026 Farm Bill on the horizon, Congress has a clear opportunity to build on that record and ensure CRP has the resources it needs for its next 40 years.”
Since its inception in 1985, CRP has served as a critical part of the farm safety net, helping producers and landowners manage risk, generate on-farm income, provide forage during extreme drought, and conserve environmentally sensitive lands. For hunters and anglers, the program is equally indispensable: CRP has restored millions of acres of wildlife habitat for pheasants, quail, waterfowl, whitetail deer, and dozens of other species, improved water quality in streams and rivers that support fisheries and helped support the $1.3 trillion outdoor recreation economy.
The organizations expressed appreciation for the Committee’s bipartisan leadership on agricultural conservation and called on members to ensure CRP is not left behind as a Farm Bill moves forward. Representing tens of millions of hunters, anglers, and outdoor enthusiasts, the organizations stated their commitment to working with the Committee to strengthen CRP, so it remains a valuable and effective option for producers, landowners, and sportsmen and women for the next 40 years and beyond.
Read the letter HERE
Founded in 2002, the TRCP is the largest coalition of conservation organizations in the country, uniting and amplifying the voices of sportsmen and women by convening hunting and fishing groups, conservation organizations, and outdoor businesses to a common purpose.
