1.1 Million Acres of New CRP Contracts Offered by USDA, but Demand Still Outpaces Supply

In a move applauded by Pheasants Forever and the nation’s conservation community, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will offer farmers and ranchers 1.1 million acres to participate in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Still, this short-term answer to more wildlife habitat, reduced erosion, and increased water quality is overshadowed by a larger culprit – the 24 million-acre cap restricting the high demand for CRP enrollments.
 
“The foremost priority of Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever is to ensure that the 115th Congress understands the true breadth and importance of a strong conservation title in the 2018 Farm Bill,” stated Dave Nomsen, vice president of governmental affairs for Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever. “Wildlife populations, clean water, and the agriculture community deserve a strong Conservation Reserve Program – we’re not seeing that right now with the current 24 million-acre cap and because of it, we’re witnessing major shortfalls on each of these issues. We applaud the new 1.1 million acres offered by USDA, but it’s a temporary solution to the elephant in the room - we need more acres of CRP.”
 
The announcement adds 1.1 million acres to a number of key CRP practices that are critically important to wildlife and conservation. These include 700,000 acres for State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) efforts, which restore high-priority wildlife habitat tailored to a specific state’s needs. In addition to SAFE, 300,000 acres will be added to target wetlands restoration that are nature’s water filters and 100,000 acres for pollinator habitat that support 30 percent of agricultural production. Last week, USDA also announced more than 500,000 acres accepted as part of the CRP Grasslands initiative – a program to establish resource-conserving grasses and other plant species to control soil erosion, improve water quality and develop wildlife habitat on marginally productive agricultural lands.
 
“The Conservation Reserve Program is an extremely popular voluntary program that offers producers and landowners a wide variety of opportunities to prevent erosion, protect wildlife habitat and reduce nutrient runoff,” said Vilsack. “With the program close to the legal enrollment limit of 24 million acres, USDA has been working to use all of the tools at our disposal to maximize benefits by combining multiple soil, water and wildlife objectives in the areas where it is needed most.”
 
These recent announcements are welcomed news considering the expiration of 2.5 million acres of CRP next year, and a total of 4.1 million acres to expire at the end of the current Farm Bill in 2018. That said, Pheasants Forever remains focused on the development of the 2018 Farm Bill and will be calling Congress, as well as the incoming Trump administration, to support CRP expansion above and beyond the current 24 million-acre cap.
 
About Pheasants Forever
Pheasants Forever, including its quail conservation division, Quail Forever, is the nation's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to upland habitat conservation. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever have more than 145,000 members and 700 local chapters across the United States and Canada. Chapters are empowered to determine how 100 percent of their locally raised conservation funds are spent; the only national conservation organization that operates through this truly grassroots structure. Since creation in 1982, Pheasants Forever has spent $634 million on 502,000 habitat projects benefiting over 14 million acres nationwide.

Media Contact
Jared Wiklund
(651) 209-4953
jwiklund@pheasantsforever.org