The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) was implemented in 1985 to protect environmentally fragile or highly erosive crop land from degradation and carbon loss to the atmosphere (CAST, 1992). Currently there are approximately 36 million acres, 8% of the nation’s cropland, in the CRP program (FSA, 2006). Ethanol production, and the subsequent need for corn for the ethanol industry, may take land from CRP programs, potentially threatening the beneficial effects of the CRP program on soil quality. Here I’ll present possible changes in soil quality resulting from putting CRP land into production.