§ 704.11 - CRP Contract.

(a) In order to enter into the CRP, the owner or operator must enter into a CRP Contract with CCC.

(b) The CRP Contract will be comprised of: (1) The terms and conditions for participation in the CRP, (2) the offer of the applicant, and (3) the conservation plan.

(c) In order to enter into a CRP Contract, the applicant must submit an offer to participate on a Form CRP-1 at the local county FSA office during the announced signup period for the applicable crop year.

(1) The offer shall be irrevocable for a period of 30 days subsequent to the close of the applicable signup period.

(2) The applicant shall be assessed liquidated damages in an amount provided in the CRP Contract if the applicant revokes an offer prior to 30 days after the close of the applicable signup period. Once an offer has been received by CCC, it shall be reviewed and evaluated. The revocation of offers during this 30-day review and evaluation period would require a re-evaluation of bids reviewed and would result in additional administrative expenditures by CCC as well as increased annual rental payments; however, it would be impossible to compute the actual damages suffered by CCC.

(3) CCC may waive payment of liquidated damages if CCC determines that the assessment of such damages in a particular case is not in the best interest of the CRP.

(d) The CRP Contract must be signed within the dates established by the COC by: (1) The applicant, and (2) the owners of the cropland to be placed in the CRP.

(e) The COC or its designee is authorized to approve CRP Contracts on behalf of CCC in accordance with instructions issued by the Deputy Administrator.

(f) CCC may reject any and all offers to place land into the CRP, including offers received from:

(1) Applicants who have submitted a previous offer to place such land into the CRP at a lower annual rental rate and revoked such earlier offer in violation of the provisions of § 704.10(c);

(2) Applicants who have violated any other terms and conditions of an earlier CRP Contract covering such land; and

(3) Applicants who had previously entered into CRP contracts with CCC if the total annual rental payments due under such prior contracts (excluding contracts entered into in accordance with § 704.21 of this part) plus the total annual rental payments called for in the offer exceeds $50,000.