Landowners in Iowa now have expanded opportunities to enroll property in a popular Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) practice. Thanks to a new allocation of CRP acres by the USDA’s Farm Service Agency, the State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) CRP practice – including Iowa Pheasant Recovery, Gaining Ground for Wildlife, and a new Early Successional Quail Habitat initiative – total 115,000 acres and are now available to landowners interested in creating and conserving upland habitat for pheasants, quail and other grassland wildlife.
“CRP SAFE practices invest in quality habitat for grassland birds, the programs are open until allocations are reached, and the rental rates are very competitive,” stated Ryan Heiniger, north regional manager for Pheasants Forever in Iowa. “And, if landowners have a CRP general contract expiring in 2017, SAFE practices – or one of the other continuous CRP practices – are something they should strongly consider.”
New to Iowa this year, the Early Successional Quail Habitat SAFE practice follows a 29-year high in bobwhite quail counts as part of the August Roadside Survey completed by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The program is being offered to landowners in 35 counties along the state’s southern tiers and will promote early successional habitats that are critical for thriving populations of northern bobwhite. Of particular note, 25 percent of the offered acres for the practice will be seeded to early successional habitat - oats, winter or spring wheat, barley, rye, millet, Korean lespedeza, partridge pea or mixtures thereof – and left standing and unharvested for a minimum of three years.
Created nearly a decade ago, SAFE practices allow states to design CRP practices that maintain the program’s hallmark soil and water conservation benefits while targeting specific wildlife species. Due to continued, and in some cases, rapid upland habitat loss, many states tailored their programs to benefit pheasants, quail and other grassland birds. The nationwide SAFE allocation is 2.45 million acres. There are more than 115,000 acres of SAFE practices currently available for enrollment to Iowa landowners geared primarily to the creation of pheasant and quail habitat, including: Iowa’s Early Successional Quail Habitat, Gaining Ground for Wildlife, and Iowa Pheasant Recovery.
Enroll Today, Contact a Pheasants Forever Biologist
Pheasants Forever Farm Bill wildlife biologists are specialized consultants in voluntary conservation programs and habitat planning. Their purpose is to assist landowners in designing, developing, and identifying funding for habitat improvements on private lands. Landowners interested in learning more about Iowa’s State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) practices should contact one of the following Pheasants Forever biologists or visit their local
USDA Service Center:
| Erica Yost |
Lee, Des Moines, Van Buren, Louisa |
|
eyost@pheasantsforever.org |
(319) 217-3204 |
| Daniel Borchardt |
Floyd, Chickasaw, Mitchell, Bremer, Butler |
|
dborchardt@pheasantsforever.org |
(641) 430-3354 |
| Josh Divan |
Winnebago, Worth |
|
jdivan@pheasantsforever.org |
(515) 708-2371 |
| Chris Hiher |
Delaware, Dubuque, Jackson |
|
chiher@pheasantsforever.org |
(563) 929-0375 |
| Jake Holt |
Mills, Fremont, Page, Montgomery |
|
jholt@pheasantsforever.org |
(712) 374-2014 x3 |
| Kelsey Fleming |
Adair, Union, Ringold, Madison |
|
kdrey@pheasantsforever.org |
(712) 660-0880 |
| Jason Andersen |
Audubon, Cass, Shelby |
|
jandersen@pheasantsforever.org |
(712) 563-4248 |
| Emery Davis |
Linn, Blackhawk, Benton, Jones |
|
edavis@pheasantsforever.org |
(319) 377-5960 |
| Nicholas Salick |
Pottawattamie, Harrison, Monona |
|
nsalick@pheasantsforever.org |
(262) 352-2851 |
| Jared Elm |
Carroll, Calhoun, Sac, Buena Vista |
|
jelm@pheasantsforever.org |
(641) 373-3944 |
| Shane Weinberg |
Monroe, Appanoose, Wapello, Davis |
|
sweinberg@pheasantsforever.org |
(641) 856-3893 |
| Troy Davelaar |
Osceola, Lyon, Sioux, O'Brien |
|
tdavelaar@pheasantsforever.org |
(712) 754-2111 |
| Allie Rath |
Fayette, Buchanan, Clayton, Allamakee |
|
arath@pheasantsforever.org |
(563) 422-5770 |
CRP Continuous Signup
Environmentally desirable land devoted to certain conservation practices may be enrolled in CRP at any time under continuous signup. Offers are automatically accepted provided the land and producer meet certain eligibility requirements and acres are available. Offers for continuous sign-up are not subject to competitive bidding. Continuous sign-up contracts are 10 to 15 years in duration. To offer land for continuous signup, producers or landowners should contact their
Pheasants Forever or Quail Forever Farm Bill wildlife biologist.
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 140,000 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.
Media Contact
Jared Wiklund
(651) 209-4953
jwiklund@pheasantsforever.org