How one farmer is using conservation programs to benefit pheasants and his bottom line
By Gilbert Randolph
Photos by Mike Poeppe​
Ritch and Cynthia Berkland’s farm in northern Iowa has been in the family since 1891. It sits within the southern arm of the Prairie Pothole Region, known for its shallow wetlands and its importance as breeding grounds for waterfowl and upland birds. Even with drain tile, some of the low-lying areas in this region consistently don’t turn a profit for row crop farmers. Through collaborating with Pheasants Forever and other partners, Berkland has been able to use programs like the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) to turn these low production areas into wildlife habitat. Not only does this benefit the profitability of his farm, but it also bolsters pheasant numbers.
Farmers often know the pieces of ground that just don’t pencil out business wise. Whether it’s consistently low yields or areas that produce high yields once every few years, but flood out most years, these areas can end up losing money consistently. Pheasant’s Forever’s Precision Ag program is focused on helping farmers identify those areas and then build a plan, navigate conservation programs and ensure they are choosing the right options for the unique situations each farm faces.
As an example, a 38-acre piece of the Berkland farm had about 17 acres that often stayed wet. Pheasants Forever staff analyzed eight years of yield data for that field and found those 17 acres lost an average of $45/acre. To continue to crop those red areas was an almost guaranteed loss.
“For some of these areas, we were looking at hundreds of thousands of dollars to put updated tile in,” Berkland said. “Taking them out of production was the best move we could have made.”
This is where programs such as the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) come into play. Financial and technical assistance is available to landowners to put native grasses, pollinator plantings and other conservation practices on the ground. Specific programs such as CRP offer annual payments for taking land out of production.
From a conservation perspective, getting farming communities on board with improving habitat is a vital part of protecting the future of upland birds and upland hunting.
“Iowa is the most biologically altered state in America, and agriculture is really important to the state’s economy,” said Western Iowa precision ag and conservation specialist Stephanie Nelson. “Iowa is around 98 percent privately owned, so working with private landowners to benefit upland birds is a central part of our strategy. By targeting underperforming crop acres, we can create habitat in places that will work for both the farm business and the birds.”
Alongside improving their farm for wildlife, the Berklands are passionate about sharing their experiences with other landowners. They recently hosted a field day, where they toured their property and shared the conservation changes that they’ve made over the years.
"Ritch is passionate about making sure farmers and landowners know they don’t have to figure everything out on their own,” Nelson said. “Whether it’s staff from Pheasants Forever, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, US Fish and Wildlife Service, or Natural Resources Conservation Service – Ritch would pick up the phone, share the problem, and work with those partners to create a solution specific for his land.”
Iowa landowners interested in putting low production land into conservation programs have a number of options available. Alongside CRP, EQIP and other state and federal programs landowners can take advantage of Pheasants Forever’s Precision Conservation Incentive Payment. Participants can receive a one-time payment of up to $26 an acre when they make a conservation change based on the farmland mapping/analysis process with PFQF precision ag staff. This incentive is currently available in Minnesota and Iowa.
Learn more about precision agriculture programs available in Iowa by contacting Stephanie Nelson at snelson@pheasantsforever.org.