RRWCD Focus Zone payment rates & irrigated acreage retirement updates

The Republican River Water Conservation District achieved the first milestone of retiring 10,000 acres in an area in the Republican River Basin known as the South Fork Focus Zone. In 2016, the states of Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska agreed the state of Colorado would retire 25,000 irrigated acres along the South Fork of the Republican River. The retirement of the irrigated acres in the specified area ensures Colorado continues compliance for the 1942 Compact signed by Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado. The last milestone is the retirement of an additional 15,000 irrigated acres by 2029.

In 2022, the Colorado State Legislature unanimously approved to award $30 million to the RRWCD in the pursuit of retiring the required irrigated acres. The funds were awarded through Senate Bill 22-028. The RRWCD board of directors voted to increase the rate paid for the retirement of acres by $750 an irrigated acre across all the RRWCD conservation programs in the SFFZ. The RRWCD utilizes programs developed by the Farm Service Agency and the Natural Resources Conservation Service to retire acres.

Today, the rate for the retirement of irrigated acres in the SFFZ are as follows:

• $5,250/irrigated acre retired through the FSA CREP program

• $4,250/irrigated acre retired through the NRCS EQIP program

• $2,750/irrigated acre retired through the RRWCD RAMP program

New Program Alert: Contact your local FSA office and ask about Dryland Farmable CREP. This program pays out over 15 years and allows the landowner to dryland farm the ground.

As of this writing, the RRWCD has encumbered approximately 62 percent of the dollars awarded by the State Legislature and has retired over 11,000 acres in the South Fork Focus Zone. Contact the Republican River Water Conservation District to discuss applying for any of the conservation program contracts. The RRRWCD District office phone number is (970) 332-3552 or find us online at http://www.republicanriver.com.