Down on the Farm: June 2007

At Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever we put a great deal of effort into bringing the concerns of America's conservationists, sportsmen and women to Washington D.C. Of particular note has been our work to strengthen the conservation programs within the Federal Farm Bill. The Farm Bill addresses land use practices on over 50 million acres of America's most environmentally sensitive lands; including the 39.2 million acres making up the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). CRP has been the nation's most successful conservation program in history. Since it's inception in 1982, it has prevented soil erosion, improved water quality, created habitat for pheasants, quail, ducks, and a myriad of other wildlife species, and stabilized rural farm economies. This year is a critical year for conservationists and wildlife as the 2007 Federal Farm Bill is debated. Down on the Farm will be a monthly up-date on the status of conservation in that debate.

Dave Nomsen
Vice President of Governmental Affairs
Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever

Debate regarding the 2007 Federal Farm Bill is heating up in Washington, D.C., but the busy halls of Capitol Hill are nothing compared to the action taking place on fields and farms across the country...

On The Wing: June 2007 With pheasant chicks starting to hatch from their eggs and quail nesting season underway, now is an appropriate time to look at what type of impact the Federal Farm Bill has had in terms of nesting, and why reauthorization of the program is so important.

Nesting cover is the single most important limiting factor for pheasant populations. Fortunately, it is a factor that we can directly impact with proper land management. One nesting cover creation tool is the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), which provides large blocks of grasslands - good pheasant nesting cover. Hen pheasants seek out the mixtures of grasses and forbs provided by CRP for nesting because the diverse vegetation reduces the density of the grasses, making it easier for the chicks to move around. CRP also provides concealment from predators as well as abundant insects for newly hatched chicks.

CRP is the most successful conservation program in U.S. history and annually produces 13.5 million pheasants given average weather conditions. Reauthorization of the program through the 2007 Federal Farm Bill is crucial to maintaining strong populations of pheasants, quail, ducks, and variety other wildlife.

Pheasants Forever supports the reauthorization of the program and an expansion in overall CRP acreage to 45 million acres. Pheasants Forever also supports an increase in the Grasslands Reserve Program (GRP) to 2 million acres per year. Similar to CRP, the GRP restores grasslands and conserves prairie, critical to pheasant production.

You can influence your future autumn hunting success by contacting your elected officials and asking them to support strong conservation policy in the 2007 Federal Farm Bill. As always, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever request your participation in this debate. Contact your elected officials. Let them know that you support a strong conservation title in the 2007 Federal Farm Bill, the continuation of CRP's wildlife legacy, and ask about their positions on conservation in the Farm Bill. To find your elected representatives, click here (your U.S. Senators and your U.S. Representatives). Future generations of American hunting and outdoor enthusiasts are depending upon your action. Please take the time to voice your support for conservation. Thank You.

If you have story ideas, dog photos, pre-1980 hunting photos and requests for future On The Wing consideration, please send correspondence to ahauck@pheasantsforever.org.

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