FACT SHEET
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Farmable Wetlands Program
Overview
The Farmable Wetlands
Program (FWP) is a
voluntary program to
restore up to one million
acres of farmable wetlands
and associated buffers
by improving the land’s
hydrology and vegetation.
Eligible producers in all
states can enroll eligible
land in the FWP through
the Conservation Reserve
Program (CRP).
Producers plant long-term,
resource-conserving covers
to improve the quality of
water, control soil erosion
and enhance wildlife
habitat on land enrolled
in CRP. In return, FSA
provides participants with
rental payments and cost-
share assistance. Contract
duration is between 10 and
15 years. FWP is designed
to prevent degradation of
wetland areas, increase
sediment trapping
efficiencies, improve water
quality, prevent soil erosion
and provide habitat for
waterfowl and other wildlife.
Eligible Land
To be eligible, land must
meet one of the following:
• Includes farmed
and prior converted
wetlands that have
been impacted by
farming activities. Must
FARM SERVICE AGENCY
September 2009
be cropland planted agree to restore the
to an agricultural hydrology of the
commodity three of the wetlands to establish
10 most recent crop vegetative cover,
years and be physically which may include
and legally capable emerging vegetation
of being planted in a in water, bottomland
normal manner to an hardwoods, cypress
agricultural commodity; and other appropriate
• Include a constructed tree species; and to
wetland developed the general prohibition
to receive flow for a of using the enrolled
row-crop agriculture land for commercial
drainage system for the purposes.
purpose of providing
nitrogen removal and Conservation Practices
other wetland functions;
• Devoted to commercial The conservation practices
pond-raised authorized under FWP are:
aquaculture in any year CP27 - Farmable Wetlands
during 2002-2007; and Wetland;
• Cropland that, after CP28 - Farmable Wetlands
Jan. 1, 1990, and Buffer;
before Dec. 31, 2002, CP39 - Farmable Wetlands
was cropped during at Constructed Wetland
least three of 10 crop CP40 - Farmable Wetlands
years, and was subject Aquaculture Wetland
to the natural overflow Restoration
of a prairie wetland. CP41 - Farmable Wetlands
Flooded Prairie Wetland
Acreage must also meet
the following FWP eligibility Contract Duration and
requirements: Effective Date
• Enrolled land cannot FWP contracts are in
exceed: effect for 10 to 15 years,
• 40 acres for wetlands in exchange for annual
or constructed rental payments, incentive
wetlands payments, and cost-share
• 20 acres for for installing necessary
intermittently flooded practices. The effective date
prairie wetlands of the contract is the first
• 40 acres per tract for day of the month following
eligible wetlands and the month of approval.
buffers; and
• Participants must
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FACT SHEET
Farmable Wetlands Program September 2009

Payments assistance from the

Natural Resources
Eligible producers may Conservation Service
receive the following types (NRCS); the Cooperative
of payments: State Research, Education,
and Extension Service;
• Annual rental Forest Service; State
payments for a 10- to Foresters; other state
15-year period. The agencies; and local soil and
rental rate is based on water conservation districts.
the weighted average
dryland cash rent. More Information
• For aquaculture, if
there is no soil survey For more information on
data, annual rental FWP, other conservation
payments are based programs, and to sign up,
on the country average please visit your local FSA
CRP rental rate. county office or http://www.
• Upfront CRP signing fsa.usda.gov.
incentive payment of
$100 per acre. (This
one-time payment is
made after the contract
is approved and all
payment eligibility
criteria are met.)
• Practice incentive
payment equal to 40
percent of the eligible
costs of installing the
practice. This one-
time payment is made
The U.S. Department of Agriculture
after the practice is (USDA) prohibits discrimination in
installed, eligible costs all its programs and activities on
the basis of race, color, national
are verified, and other origin, age, disability, and where
payment eligibility applicable, sex, marital status,
familial status, parental status,
criteria are met. religion, sexual orientation, genetic
information, political beliefs,
• Incentive amount reprisal, or because all or part of an
equal to 20 percent of individual’s income is derived from
any public assistance program.
the weighted average (Not all prohibited bases apply
dryland cash rent. to all programs.) Persons with
disabilities who require alternative
• Up to 50 percent cost- means for communication of
share for establishing program information (Braille,
large print, audiotape, etc.) should
permanent cover. contact USDA’s TARGET Center at
(202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To
file a complaint of Discrimination,
Cooperating Agencies write to USDA, Director, Office of
Civil Rights, 1400 Independence
Avenue, SW., Washington, DC
The FWP is administered 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272
(voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD).
by USDA’s Farm Service USDA is an equal opportunity
Agency (FSA) with provider and employer.

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