Take a walk down memory lane with Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s “bread and butter” conservation program

By: Mikayla Peper

It’s the early 1980s. Farms across the nation face a rising financial crisis. 

Throughout the next few years, many will file for bankruptcy, while the survivors face concerns about raising crops on highly erodible land and the long-term viability of farm ground. But when it’s needed most, new legislation surfaces to address these concerns — setting the stage for a historic investment in conservation and agriculture that has endured for four decades. 

Sparked by a 1985 USDA report on the concerns of topsoil erosion, Congress passed landmark conservation policies in the Food Security Act of 1985, also known as the 1985 Farm Bill. President Ronald Reagan signed the bill into law that year on December 23, a wonderful end-of-year gift for farmers and conservationists alike.

The foundations laid in this Farm Bill became an early version of the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) that we know and love today. What started as a tool for reducing soil erosion on row crop farms became a game changer for conservationists, wildlife populations and hunters across the United States. In 2025 alone, 1.8 million acres were enrolled in CRP nearly reaching the 27-million-acre nationwide cap. 

Every experienced hunter knows pheasants and quail can be flushed out of the grasslands, prairie strips, pivot corners, and stream buffers that are a part of the working lands mosaic. The ideal upland bird habitat includes a harmonious mixture of food sources and cover; a balance most often found on acres enrolled in CRP alongside productive cropland.

A popular saying in reference to CRP is “Farm the best, conserve the rest.” 

Within the myriad of enrollment options, there’s a best fit in CRP for all producers to introduce conservation to their operations no matter the size or style. 

CRP initiatives like SAFE (State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement) and CREP (Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program) demonstrate the program’s ability to meet local conservation goals, while boosting producers’ bottom line. Programs like these also create the perfect opportunity for PF & QF’s team of Farm Bill biologists to provide support to farmers and ranchers. 

If you’re a landowner interested in CRP, you can contact one of our biologists with questions and to request help with program enrollment. Over 400 team members are stationed across the nation, and you can visit this page to find your local Farm Bill biologist and their contact information. 

And if you’re a hunter who has traversed private land enrolled in a conservation program, be sure to thank the landowner. Their efforts to utilize these acres for conservation benefit those searching for wild game, rural communities that depend on hunting tourism, and the farm itself. Production agriculture and land to hunt on; it’s possible to have both thanks to the creation of CRP 40 years ago today.

Now more than ever, CRP is a vital part of the economic and ecological safety net for rural America. For the past several years, however, CRP has operated under three successive one-year extensions. A full, long-term reauthorization through the farm bill is critical to ensure that CRP continues to provide the reliability and predictability producers need to manage risk and steward their land. 

That’s why Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever joined 30 other conservation organizations in sending a letter to the House and Senate Agriculture Committees urging them to strengthen CRP. As Congress continues developing the next farm bill, this anniversary offers a timely reminder of how well CRP works—and how we can build on the program’s impressive record by making it work even better for landowners and strengthen outcomes for wildlife, soil, and water.

To accomplish this, we need your help. If you’re interested in advocating for the next 40 years of CRP, take action here and let your elected officials know that CRP needs to be a top priority.

Happy Birthday, CRP!