Factors Affecting Enrollment in General Conservation Reserve Program: A Duration Analysis of Producers in Southern United States

Since the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) was created in 1985, producers in the United States (US) have voluntarily enrolled their environmentally sensitive agricultural lands for conservation in exchange for an annual rental payment. However, enrollment in General CRP has been decreasing over time. This study used a discrete-time duration analysis model to examine factors influencing the length of time producers in the southeastern US ( n = 5000) take to enroll in the General CRP. Younger producers enrolled relatively faster than their older counterparts. Furthermore, increased total land area, awareness about CRP, and positive perspectives on the sign-up ranking process reduced overall time to enrollment.