CROP PROGRAM INFORMATION MEETING, SIGN-UPS SET

The annual Conservation Reserve Program sign-up will get under way Monday.

Sign-ups will continue through March 28, said Terry Birk of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency office in Jackson.

Under the CRP program, farmers and ranchers receive a rental fee and cost-share assistance from the Commodity Credit Corporation in return for converting environmentally sensitive acreage to desirable environmental practices.

Eligible landowners can sign up at their local Farm Service Agency office.

The USDA recently published new regulations governing the CRP, under which only the most environmentally sensitive land may be enrolled.

The Cape Girardeau County FSA has scheduled two informational meetings during the sign-up period -- March 6 at Oak Ridge School Cafeteria and March 11 at the University Extension Center at Jackson. Both meetings begin at 7 p.m.