Enterprise Dispatch Blog

At a recent Pheasant Fest luncheon in Des Moines, Iowa, US Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced 150,000 acres of additional authority for a Continuous Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) practice titled State Acres For wildlife Enhancement (SAFE), also known as CP-38.

Minnesota received an additional 10,800 acres available for enrollment immediately. Minnesota’s last allocation of acres, in 2008, was approximately 23,000 and was exhausted within 11 months.

The focus of CP38 is the restoration of grassland habitats for pheasant and other wildlife populations through the planting of critical nesting habitat within the pheasant and greater prairie chicken range of Minnesota. Grasslands have been identified among the nation’s most threatened ecosystem and therefore are the limiting factor in population size and abundance of grassland dependent species such as the ring-necked pheasant and the greater prairie chicken. In Minnesota alone, less than 1% of native grasslands remain.

Named the “Back Forty Pheasant Habitat practice,” it is one of the most versatile programs offered under the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). The program allows landowners to enroll blocks of land that are 10 – 40 acres in size or areas that are less than 10 acres in size as long as it is adjacent to existing habitat. The program can be designed to square up odd shaped fields, hard to farm areas, irrigation corners, and can be used in locations where most other practices cannot.  Enrollment in these additional CP 38 acres is scheduled to begin on March 15th.

“We know what happens when you restore grasslands and build upon existing habitats in the Minnesota pheasant range“, stated Joe Pavelko, MN director of conservation programs, “the birds and other wildlife respond quickly.”

Secretary Vilsack also announced plans for a new CRP general signup slated for later this year. This will be the first general signup since 2006. It arrives in time to address the 4.4 million acres of CRP expiring on September 30, 2010. An additional 14.2 million acres of CRP are slated to expire between 2011 and 2013.  The date for this new CRP general signup has not been determined as yet.

Landowners interested in learning more about the CP-38 program or the upcoming general signup should contact their local USDA Service Center for more information.