Practical Conservation

The USDA just opened up > 24 million acres of CRP to help offset increased feed costs. Many wildlife concerns are directly addressed. “Eligible land may not be hayed or grazed until after the end of the primary nesting season. Also, some ….. land must be reserved for wildlife and …… must have a conservation plan. In many instances, the removal of some of the grass cover will increase the diversity of the stand and provide long-term benefits for wildlife. Further, the most environmentally-sensitive land …. will not be eligible.” {emphasis mine}. This has been met with mixed reviews, so I link some of them below:

“Opinions vary….” Brownfield Network.

“America’s Duck Factory to also serve as Beef Factory.” Ducks Unlimited.

“Beef groups oppose USDA Plan….” Cattle Network.

“Corn prices slip after USDA opens….” MarketWatch.

“Are we subsidizing forages?” AgWeb Blogs.

“Mixed feelings….” from Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever at Eden Prairie News.

“CRP Release Rankles Hay Growers…” – from Hay & Forage Grower.

“Pros & Cons of USDA Releasing….“  – from Wallaces Farmer.

Three reviews of the Farm Bill from the Wildlife Management Institute, FarmPolicy.com, and the Wildlife Management Pro.

“…buried deep in this monster bill are what could be the seeds of change.” FarmPolicy.com summarizes the new Farm Bill. Many of these seeds of change may be good for conservation.

Get Windbreaks for Conservation from USDA National Agroforestry Center. It is an excellent guide to design considerations for conservation windbreaks. You may have to supplement regional woody plant species information to select the appropriate trees & shrubs for your region. They have additional windbreak publications including Windbreaks for Wildlife, How Windbreaks Work, & many other more detailed aspects of windbreak design, establishment and management.

Objective-driven conservation planning just got easier! ArkansasHabitat.org is a fantastic website organizing Farm Bill conservation options by objective (for example, Managing Cropland for Habitat or Restoring Wetlands). One click on an objective takes you to the appropriate practices with pictures, descriptions and – most importantly – potential sources of funding and NRCS practice standards. The information is specific to Arkansas, but the Farm Bill information is relevant to all states.

Accessibility – A+; Price – FREE; Ease of Use – A. You know my students will use this site next semester!