Landowners Can Get Paid to Improve Wildlife Habitat

Landowners should be aware they have until April 6, 2012, to enroll their land in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Conserve ton Reserve Program.

If a person is are a landowner or agricultural producer who meets the eligibility requirements and needs financial assistance to establish or enhance wildlife habitat on his property, he could get paid for taking part in this program, according to a USDA news release

The purpose is to help agricultural producers use environmentally sensitive land for conservation purposes. This is accomplished by planting long-term covers to benefit soil, water and wildlife.

Eligible landowners may apply to participate in CRP at their local USDA Farm Service Agency county office/service center.

For the past 25 years CRP, according to the release, has provided important habitat in the Midwest, mainly for waterfowl, pheasants, lesser prairie chickens, sage grouse and many other grassland-dependent species.

But landowners in other parts of the country also may take advantage of this program that helps wildlife and preserves wildlife habitat.

Properly-managed CRP tree covers also can provide habitat for many upland species including wild turkey and northern bobwhite quail.

USDA estimates contracts on 3.3 million to 6.5 million acres are scheduled to expire annually between now and 2014. Converting these expiring acres back into agricultural production could harm soil, water and wildlife resources, particularly in states with the most acres set to expire, including Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Washington.

CRP is a voluntary program that helps agricultural producers use environmentally sensitive land for conservation benefits.

Producers enrolled in CRP plant long-term, resource-conserving covers to control soil erosion, improve water and air quality and develop wildlife habitat. In return, FSA provides participants with rental payments and cost-share assistance.

CRP contract duration between landowners and the federal government varies from 10-15 years.

To be eligible for CRP enrollment, a producer must have owned or operated the land for at least 12 months prior to the end of the CRP sign-up period, unless:

? The new owner acquired the land due to the previous owner's death;

? The ownership change occurred due to foreclosure where the owner exercised a timely right of redemption in accordance with state law or;

? The circumstance of the acquisition present adequate assurance to FSA the new owner didn't acquire the land for the purpose of placing it in CRP.

To be eligible for placement in the CRP general sign-up, land must be crop land (including field margins) that is planted, or considered planted, to an agricultural commodity four of the six crop years from 2002 to 2007, and be physically and legally capable of being planted (no planting restrictions due to an easement or other legally binding instrument) in a normal manner to an agricultural commodity.

Alfalfa or other multi-year grasses and legumes grown in a rotation not to exceed 12 years may be eligible

In addition to the eligible land requirements, for general sign-up crop land must meet one of the following criteria:

? Have a weighted average erosion index of eight or higher;

? Be expiring CRP acreage or;

? Be located in a national or state CRP conservation priority area.

FSA provides CRP sign-up 43 participants with annual rental payments, including certain

incentive payments and cost share assistance:

? In return for establishing long-term, resource conserving covers, FSA provides rental payments to participants. FSA bases rental rates on the relative productivity of the soils

within each county and the average dry land cash rent

County office staff working with the producer will calculate the maximum CRP rental rate for each offer prior to enrollment.

Producers may offer land below the rate to increase the likelihood that FSA will accept their offer.

? FSA provides cost-share assistance to participants who establish approved cover on eligible cropland. The cost-share assistance can't exceed 50 percent of the participant's costs to establish approved practices.

FSA will rank offers for CRP sign-up 43 according to the Environmental Benefits Index

(EBI). FSA collects data (primarily based on location, soils information and selected

conservation practice) and determines the environmental indices for the land offered.

FSA ranks each eligible offer in comparison to all other offers and selects from that

ranking. After the sign-up ends, the Secretary will decide where to make the EBI cutoff.

Those who have met previous sign-up EBI thresholds aren't guaranteed a contract under

this sign-up.

Producers may consult with local FSA and NRCS staff on how to maximize EBI points and increase the likelihood that their offer will be accepted.

CRP sign-up 43 is available by reading the FSA fact sheet, "Conservation Reserve Program Sign-up 43, Environmental Benefits Index."

For more information on CRP, contact a local FSA office or visit FSA's website at www.fsa.usda.gov/crp

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