Conservation acres at risk, may return to crop land

[Scott Eveland]

http://www.journalstar.com/news/state-and-regional/nebraska/article_702e35a4-ce47-11de-a46f-001cc4c03286.html

Conservation acres at risk, may return to crop land

By ART HOVEY / Lincoln Journal Star | Posted: Wednesday, November 11, 2009 3:00 am
In its 23-year history, the Conservation Reserve Program has protected fragile Nebraska acres from erosion, provided wildlife habitat and produced a steady source of income to landowners.
Now one of the most popular federal conservation programs in the nation's agricultural history is adrift.
Contracts on more than 40 percent of the state's 1.18 million CRP acres are scheduled to expire over a three-year period that began last year.
So far, there's no show of urgency in the U.S. Department of Agriculture to allow typical holders of 10-year agreements to re-enroll and to keep big portions of some 470,000 acres in Nebraska from going back into crop production.
Todd Reynolds of Broken Bow said the contract on 240 acres of "marginal ground" he manages for his grandmother in Custer County -- planted mostly to switchgrass and home to song birds, pheasants, deer, grouse and more -- is scheduled to expire in September.
"Honestly, if this got torn out," Reynolds said, "we wouldn't have a place to pheasant hunt."
The 2008 farm bill shrank the national CRP inventory from 39 million to 32 million acres. That target has already been hit, but signs of further shrinkage loom large.
Between now and the end of fiscal year 2011, more than 9 million more acres are at risk because of expiring contracts.
Nebraska is one of a dozen states with more than 1 million acres enrolled. That adds up to about $70 million in annual government checks due out as of Oct. 1.
Counties involved in the Conservation Reserve Program


Greg Reisdorff, based in Lincoln with the administering Farm Service Agency, said Johnson and Pawnee counties in Southeast Nebraska were among five in the state that had the maximum 25 percent of tillable acres in the CRP.
Now there are no Nebraska counties in that category.
Reisdorff has heard nothing about when there might be a new enrollment window opened by the Ag Department.
"Those decisions are up to the secretary," he said.
Nebraska's Game and Parks Commission and state leaders of Pheasants Forever and the National Wildlife Federation are among those watching anxiously to see what happens next.
"We're trying to get this off the back burner," said Tim McCoy of Game and Parks, "because we're looking at what happens when we have another round of contracts expire next year."
Duane Hovorka of Elmwood and the Wildlife Federation sees the CRP as especially important in Nebraska because of the state's relatively modest ownership of public land by federal, state and local governments.
"What we're hoping is that the Department of Agriculture will open up the program to new enrollment so at least some of the acres could stay in the program or other acres could get in to make up for some of the acres that are leaving," Hovorka said.
Pete Berthelsen assesses the potential damage in other ways as Pheasants Forever's St. Paul-based senior field coordinator.
Berthelsen said the USDA's own numbers for Nebraska include 13.8 million tons of soil saved and 1.56 million metric tons of carbon held out of the atmosphere each year by grass cover.
He also cited $10.5 million in annual statewide hunting revenue and 1.08 million pheasants born in that same habitat.
"When you lose those benefits," he said of CRP payments, "there's a cost to us as a society associated with those."
Reisdorff doesn't see as much momentum behind the idea of getting acres back into crop production as there seemed to be as recently as last year.
"Now, a year later, farming is not as profitable -- or as potentially profitable -- as it was a year ago," he said. "It doesn't look like there's all that pressure to get land out of the CRP."
Reach Art Hovey at 473-7223 or at ahovey@journalstar.com.

[Ty S]

This is the type of crap that happens when our government cuts funding to places where we actually need it.

"Hey I got an idea! Lets print some more fake money and sell our debt to China and give everyone mandatory "free" healthcare." - NOBAMA

[gwhunter]

Originally Posted by Ty Stromquist

This is the type of crap that happens when our government cuts funding to places where we actually need it.

"Hey I got an idea! Lets print some more fake money and sell our debt to China and give everyone mandatory "free" healthcare." - NOBAMA

I love the CRP program. Just think of all the people who think it is a waste of tax dollars. And believe me there are quite a few. Everybody wants to lower spending but nobody wants to give up their pet tax dollars.

[thumpper]

I wish the CRP program would pay land owners 'X' amount of dollars MORE per acre if the land owner would allow their land to be open to the public for hunting.

[ADV1]

Originally Posted by thumpper

I wish the CRP program would pay land owners 'X' amount of dollars MORE per acre if the land owner would allow their land to be open to the public for hunting.

They do but it's not enough to justify it for some owners...

[thumpper]

Originally Posted by ADV1

They do but it's not enough to justify it for some owners...

Thanks wasn't aware of that..

[jimbosan]

This is exactly why i'm not sure that I want to invest in another hunting dog or not. If there are no pheasants whats the point?

[jimbosan]

Originally Posted by Ty Stromquist

This is the type of crap that happens when our government cuts funding to places where we actually need it.

"Hey I got an idea! Lets print some more fake money and sell our debt to China and give everyone mandatory "free" healthcare." - NOBAMA

Ty you can blame Obama all you want but we didn't get in this situation because of him, remember we are recovering from eight years of the worse presidency in perhaps the history of the United States. Things are not going to change overnight its going to take a while how quickly we forget. God Bless America!

[Alex T.]

This is exactly why i'm not sure that I want to invest in another hunting dog or not. If there are no pheasants whats the point?

Nice play on words. Get a beagle,plenty of rabbits.Of course,they don't point.

Alex

[Hunter]

Originally Posted by jimbosan

Ty you can blame Obama all you want but we didn't get in this situation because of him, remember we are recovering from eight years of the worse presidency in perhaps the history of the United States. Things are not going to change overnight its going to take a while how quickly we forget. God Bless America!

The MEDIA tells you it was bad. The FACTS do not support this!!!

I am not going to get into a big political debate. All I am going to say is this....
if you are a gun owner,outdoorsman and support the Constitution of the United States and you support Obunghole you REALLY need to research what he actually wants and believes in!!!!:m ad:

[columbus_area]

am I mistaken, or are there federal programs that do a CRP program as well? I have friend in MO that is working on a project to turn a bottom area they own into a duck pond. Gov will pay for 90% of that..... Just curious.

[bschiltz]

Originally Posted by columbus_area

am I mistaken, or are there federal programs that do a CRP program as well? I have friend in MO that is working on a project to turn a bottom area they own into a duck pond. Gov will pay for 90% of that..... Just curious.

The Conservation Reserve Program is a federally funded program through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

[bassassin]

yea I can't think of the name, it's something to do with Wetlands protection. Same concept as CRP, you see lots of bottomland go into this when it floods frequently and farmers don't want to or can't insure it, and then people buy it from the government for rec purposes and stuff. The landowner gets a double payday type of deal, before the ownership ends up the with someone else. Cabela's trophy properties has some listed I'm sure. Hopefully that wasn't too confusing, I'm guessing someone can clarify my stab in the dark.

[bschiltz]

Originally Posted by bassassin

yea I can't think of the name, it's something to do with Wetlands protection. Same concept as CRP, you see lots of bottomland go into this when it floods frequently and farmers don't want to or can't insure it, and then people buy it from the government for rec purposes and stuff. The landowner gets a double payday type of deal, before the ownership ends up the with someone else. Cabela's trophy properties has some listed I'm sure. Hopefully that wasn't too confusing, I'm guessing someone can clarify my stab in the dark.

Hmm... I'm not sure about what you're describing, but there is a WRP (Wetland Reserve Program) which is the same concept as CRP but targeted for wetlands. WRP is a contract based payment program so there isn't any transfer of ownership. I'll do some checking and see if I can find what you mean.
Ben

[WalterPayton34]

Do they not realize that the biggest plus of the CRP program isn't even wildlife, but the amount of water it saves? CRP is a necessity to sustain the environment. It is the same as forests, we need to keep these lands to preserve the environment. They do a great job protecting the forests, but no so much for other ecosystems. Also anyone who bought into any of Bush's BS about how he was a hunter and yadayada he did a lot to hurt sportsmen while he was in office. It was just smoke and mirrors that almost all politicians use.

[Patrick Olson]

Originally Posted by Hunter

The MEDIA tells you it was bad. The FACTS do not support this!!!

I am not going to get into a big political debate. All I am going to say is this....
if you are a gun owner,outdoorsman and support the Constitution of the United States and you support Obunghole you REALLY need to research what he actually wants and believes in!!!!:m ad:

Ironically, a liberal is far more likely to support government spending programs like CRP and WRP than a conservative. Which is what this thread is about. Just food for thought.

PO

[DUHunt]

While I agree that a liberal would more likely support a big gov't program, I will disagree with you on this point. Liberals are the ones that don't like hunting. While the CRP program is not directed to increase the quality of hunting it does. A conservative is far more likely to support a program like this. Liberals are far more likely to support programs like food stamps, welfare, after school programs, ect...

[south of 41]

Originally Posted by jimbosan

This is exactly why i'm not sure that I want to invest in another hunting dog or not. If there are no pheasants whats the point?