The current enrollment was one of the most selective sign-up periods in CRP’s 30-year history. Per-acre conservation benefits were maximized, and multiple conservation priorities were targeted simultaneously. “Over the past 30 years, CRP has created major environmental improvements throughout the countryside. The program has removed carbon dioxide from the atmosphere equal to removing nine million cars from the road annually, and prevented 600 million dump trucks of soil from erosion. With today’s announcement, USDA is continuing these achievements by maximizing conservation benefits within the limitations provided by law,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement.