Landowners and operators are reminded that in order to receive payments from USDA, compliance with Highly Erodible Land (HEL) and Wetland Conservation (WC) provisions are required. Farmers with HEL determined soils are reminded of tillage, crop residue, and rotation requirements as specified per their conservation plan. Producers are to notify the USDA Farm Service Agency prior to breaking sod, clearing land (tree removal), and of any drainage projects (tiling, ditching, etc.) to ensure compliance.

Failure to update certification of compliance, with form AD-1026, triggering applicable HEL and/or wetland determinations, for any of these situations, can result in the loss of FSA farm program payments, FSA farm loans, NRCS program payments, and premium subsidy to Federal Crop Insurance administered by RMA. 

NRCS Conducting Cropland Survey

Virginia producers may be asked by the USDA to participate in a survey to gather information about the use of conservation practices on cultivated cropland.

The 2025 Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) survey is a joint effort between USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). NASS has begun contacting approximately 23,000 producers across the contiguous U.S. to determine survey eligibility. A more in-depth follow-up survey will be conducted starting in November of this year.

Once surveying is complete, NRCS will combine the data with information from the National Resources Inventory, NRCS field staff and multiple data sources to estimate environmental and management outcomes of conservation measures on cultivated cropland across American farms. NRCS will publish the findings as a CEAP cropland assessment report that will quantify the effects of voluntary conservation efforts across the nation at both regional and national scales.

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Wayne Creed

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