South Dakota ranks fourth in 2024 grassland conservation enrollments

South Dakota landowners enrolled almost 159,000 acres this year — nearly 250 square miles — into a federal conservation program that pays them to use management practices promoting healthy grasslands.

That ranks the state fourth in Grassland Conservation Reserve Program sign-ups this year, following Nebraska, Colorado and New Mexico, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture .

Large grasslands pull carbon dioxide down into the soil, where it doesn’t contribute to global warming. Healthy grasslands can also retain moisture and are naturally adapted and resilient to wildfire.

Landowners who enroll must maintain the grassland, not farm it, but sustainable livestock grazing is allowed. Limited hay baling is also permitted. The USDA inspects to ensure enrolled acres are managed to promote plant and animal biodiversity.

In addition to new sign-ups, as of April , about 1,800 South Dakota landowners had ongoing Grassland CRP contracts with the USDA, translating to about 1.48 million acres enrolled with annual rental payments totaling $23.67 million. The average annual payment per acre is about $16.

Across all USDA conservation reserve programs, 14,150 South Dakota landowners have contracts with the USDA , encompassing nearly 2.4 million acres. Annual CRP payments in South Dakota — including the grasslands and other CRP programs — total $137.29 million, with an average payment per acre of $57.40.

Nationwide, this year’s nearly 1.44 million acres of grassland enrollments brings the total of acres enrolled in all USDA land conservation programs to almost 27 million acres, the department’s statutory cap .

Zach Ducheneaux is the administrator for USDA’s Farm Service Agency, which oversees the programs. He’s also a South Dakota rancher and a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.

Ducheneaux said in a statement that the enrollment news “is a testament to the commitments made by the farmers, ranchers and landowners we serve to mitigate the impacts of climate change by conserving, protecting and enhancing our natural resources.”

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: South Dakota ranks fourth in 2024 grassland conservation enrollments