We enroll quite a few acres in the CRP program.

I farm along the coast, in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. 900 acres in grain production, corn beans and wheat. Our ground is flat, very close to sea level, and ditched heavily to help the fields drain. We put 30’ buffers around all of the ditches, and enrolled these acres in CRP. It was planted in a pasture mix type seed, and has a bunch of milkweed and some thistle in spots. The idea is that this provides a buffer between the ag field and the watershed. Any runoff , which is minimal due to our practices, will be caught in this “filter strip”. My grandfather used to do this before the crp program was started, just being a steward of his land. We crab, clam, fish, swim etc. in the nearby bays, and always want to do our part to help care for it.

Here is the kicker to you guys who have the “handout” mentality. We could make more money farming these acres than what the payment is. But we choose not to. Ours is on 10 year contracts, and requires maintenance agreements and inspections.

Blows my mind how so many people bash farmers, especially on a trapping/outdoor forum!

John

CRP (Conservation Reserve Program) WAS a great wildlife program. Initially the goal was reducing soil erosion & improving water quality. Later wildlife habitat was added as a focus in roughly the mid 1990s. Payments are generally set by each county FSA committee and are based on the local private cash rental rates. Originally CRP was hands off - no haying, no grazing. Completely undisturbed nesting cover & security habitat. I cannot adequately describe the huge herds of mule deer that could be seen here, after a couple years of CRP. Here, pheasants did not benefit till later, but of the millions of pheasants harvested in this nation over the last 40 years, a huge percentage of them hatched in CRP, roosted in CRP, and were probably harvested in CRP. North and South Dakota, Nebraska, KS, well CRP played a huge role in those populations and hunting opportunities.

In the last ten years, things have changed greatly. Policy is modified every 5 years in the federal Farm Bill. Recent farm bill legislation has become less about undisturbed habitat and more about use (grazing, haying) . Regular harvest of those acres occurs now, some fields here I'll bet have been harvested 8/10 years the last decade. IMO game and fish agencies have lost their backbone in advocating for wildlife in the farm bill. And grassland wildlife is suffering. That's why I say "was" a great program.

I could go on and on, but rant over. Yes it's a subsidy. But one that had lots of benefits. Now its a livestock subsidy program.

Yes I agree about the FSA now instead of the ASCS, but all of the mapping and yield potential was completed by the agency when it was the ASCS. The FSA now is directly under the USDA and does oversee the farm programs and does house the NRCS but there are differing programs which are housed in those agencies.

As to farm subsidies being paid out during high prices, the simple answer is no as the prices have not been low enough to trigger support payments. Where subsidies still function during higher prices is in subsidizing the crop insurance programs the Dairy Margin program etc. The goal of subsidizing crop insurance was the first attempt to move the crop protection and subsidies into the private sector. It has gone much slower than hoped mostly due to political issues. The bulk of farm subsidy payment states are politically red and they elect GOP senators that have very long tenure and lots of seniority and the senate is the major policical player in the farm bill. Even though farm subsidies seem to and probably do favor large commodity (crop) operations, not beef, pork, poultry, dairy etc.) they still do allow a large number of smaller operations to exist. If we would pull out farm subsidies in a short time or rapidly I think many of us would be amazed how much funding would come from a very, very few wealthy individuals and corporations as they could sense to opportunity to control supply and thus price. In today's world there just is not enough profit for the huge money firms to invest heavily in agricultural production.

Bryce

JoMiBru You mention being stewards of the land. And being a steward of the land was a natural and quite often how all farmers where going about the business of farming. That stewardship was what made it possible to earn a living at farming .Two generations ago farming was more of a lifestyle than an occupation . Yes it was hard work and that responsibility of taking care of that farm was a 24 hour /7 days a week/ every day as long as you lived there Vacation and holidays did not get any mention in the benefits package .And the sense of maintaining the land for the future and leaving it better than how it was when you started out was just the way things where done You also talk about buffers and filter strips and other practices that enhance the future of the .ground you are farming .Those methods are very important to you because of the long term value they provide to you as the property owner And here is where I feel the value of those practices are also a value to society in general You still see what you are doing as a life choice Look around at al the major flooding over the past 25 to 50 years More and more former farm fields are now parking lots and huge buildings that are they pace of business and the reason the parking lots where built .Keeping farmers in business is the most economically simple way of avoiding the natural disasters that are more and more common with each passing year .Subsidizing farmers by paying crop insurance and guaranteeing at least a minimum price encourages some farmers to abandon their former way of doing things in pursuit of the almighty dollar .In some ways as a farmer attempts to make a greater profit they are faced with the business aspects that seem like are necessary to make that addition profit .As they try to grow they focus on the bigger is better They end up spending more money to make more money In the end they simply handle more money bt they do not make a greater profit . It certainly has to be a thin line to walk between being that steward of the land and still being profitable so you can pass on to your family the chance to continue to farm .While all around you are taking the subsidy money and buying up the land ,purchasing more and bigger machinery and hiring an accountant that understands the rules on the many programs that enable hem to use the rules that make it possible to qualify for the programs .Keep at your approach to maintaining those methods of keeping the land in a manner they is a credit to you To often the easy way appears to be the best ay The fact of the matter is the right way is the right way and someone needs to show others that it is important to keep those ideas .I see in a different post you killed a turkey this week My guess it was on land you own or else farm More proof that the old ways are not dead or are no longer of any use We AS A SOCIETY ARE ALWAYS THINKING WE ARE SO SMART THAT WE CAN FORGET HOW THINGS WHERE DONE 50 YEARS AGO . As a result we often need to relearn what was considered common sense Your points of view are still valid no matter how much others may think they are ideas from the past . I enjoyed reading your post

The difference is we don't have a U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife Harvesters If we did, we could get paid for lowering production ( not trapping) to increase the price of our product. Or we could have the government mandate the use of coon fat in all diesel used in the U.S. and have the government subsidize the building of coon fat biodiesel plants.

However, I know some Fish Harvesters that get paid by the government when fishing is slow and or cancelled due to low numbers of fish or shellfish. Just takes a strong lobby to get government money. Maybe the NTA can get to work on it?



"The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), was established in the Food Security Act of 1985, in order to permanently authorize the effort to provide incentives for farmers to retire environmentally sensitive cropland, with the added benefit of helping to reduce the supply of crops that are often in surplus and put downward pressure on crop prices."

"However, this program was not the first time that such a policy approach was used in the U.S. agricultural sector. After the Supreme Court declared in January 1936 that the main mechanism of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1933, which involved an effort to control agricultural production by paying farmers to not plant crops was unconstitutional, Congress came back within less than two months to pass the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act of 1936. "

Source: Agweb

Ringneck1 You are correct when you mention how much wildlife is so much more prevalent in and around the areas that are in CRP.CREP WHIP ETC. Game and non game species all need food and winter and nesting cover to survive. I trap a few properties that are entirely or have some acreage in CRP or other type of habitat program The first thing you notice is those fields hold a lot more song birds and mice And on nearly every farm that I have trapping permission on that has some areas of switchgrass or other type of warm season grass that is left to stand as cover the deer herd is doing better than it ever did in my lifetime . As a young kid growing up here deer where an uncommon sight The total der kill in the 1960's was about 500 buck and doe combined. Today almost 50 years later in the same county that now has a much larger human populating has a deer population that is almost a nuisance The yearly combined kill is in the 1500 to 2000 range. And quite honestly would be a huge amount bigger if where not for the lack of hunting access due to safety reasons and those that want to preserve every deer they see for their taking only A few of the properties are now home to coyotes .Another animal that was uncommon in this county .25 years ago . I caught the first 3 of my lifetime on a farm with about 60 acres of land enrolled in a Crep program . As I was just starting to trap there I was able to watch how things developed over the course of the CREP program being put into practice The farm was steep hills with mostly shale ground on those steep hillsides And due to the lay of th land there where a few spring heads suppling a water source that grew water cress in the tiny streams that trickled off the hills .When the farm was farmed with the horses and plow it was a difficult place to be profitable Using tractors and modern chemicals and methods such a no till mainly gave the same results .And the chemicals quickly got into the water The current land owner set about making the property a more wildlife friendly began by planting some of the steepest hillsides into pines and fruit bearing trees His goal was to stop the erosion and provide doves and other birds a nesting place Next was the establishment of warm season grass fields along with more trees Some are oak others are more in the class of shrubs and smaller food producing trees such as dogwood crabapple and additional pine trees that are used as nesting spots The grass cover is used by many ground nesting birds including some types that are very rare in this part of PA And those warm season grass fields are a mecca for the deer herd . Deer are thought of as a forest animal .How ever they are masters at using cover to their best advantage . And switchgrass And deer a switchgrass go together like peanut butter and jelly The farmer got all that he hoped for plus many other unexpected things from his getting into a conservation program He has allowed others to view his farm and the practices that are being used to enhance food and cover for wildlife .And as an example of improving water quality As you say it is not prefect and it has been watered down over time And it is a subsidy .It needs to be returned to a program that des what was the original intentions .At the same time it is still a better program that allowing an any thing goes concept of paying farmers to farm ground that is not really suitable to be farmed and than paying them for getting the results that where the only result possible .

Does anyone know where to buy switchgrass seed in bulk? I have a buddy who wants to grow a bunch of switchgrass. I don't mean to hijack the thread. Just got curious.

Ernst Seed Co in Meadville PA . was the company that the Pheasants Forever chapter did business with Also I do not know if they are still in business but there was a company called Osenbach (sp) in the mid west Both very good to deal with Meadville PA is closer to south central so shipping was somewhat cheaper

Thank you.

Did a search It is called Osenbaugh Prairie Seed Farm located in Lucas IA .

W side rd 151 , thanks and good write up. I am the 4th generation farmer on our land. And this is my thoughts on getting “bigger”. Every time you grow, your fields don’t get the care they did before. A lot of farmers around us get in bidding wars, trying to scoop up all the land they can. (To each their own, I don’t really care what they do). I try to take extra care of each acre I farm, and make it as profitable as I can. Rather than stretching myself thin, and scooping up acres, and having to hire help, I just keep good care of the ground I currently farm. The small farmer can still be profitable. Keep expenses low, learn to do your own repairs ( getting to be tough with newer equipment). Keep your equipment well maintained and pay attention to detail. Do your own trucking, harvesting, spraying, etc. And if you have a little spare time, find a hustle to make some income off the farm. I have a small commercial fishing gill net/crab boat and plant food plots for some neighbors for a little extra cash. It’s an enjoyable way of living in my opinion. I like working hard and staying busy. And yes I killed that bird on my own land.

John

I am not a farmer and I never was .However I was born on a farm and lived there until my early teens Some of my family married farmers. So about the time we moved from the farm some of my family was getting started farming on there own .And I still have some close family members that are earning their primary source of income as farmers .I hope none of my comments where taken as being negative towards farming or farmers . It is still the best way to raise a family I am not a big fan of some of the big government subsidy programs that are well intended but end up in the pockets of those that are in the least need to receive . As Americans in general we support the concept of providing a helping hand to those that are in need of help to get back on the right track . But a helping hand and standing in line expecting a hand out as the standard way of going about things are not equal .As the habitat chairman for a local Pheasant Forever chapter I would talk to people about the CRP/CREP programs that farmers could use to make conservation improvements on their property .And even after many years of doing that I was shocked by the negative attitude that was expressed by farmers and non farmers One of the most off base ideas seems to be that the CRP/CREP programs are the reason land rental prices are so high and going through the roof is the CRP/CREP program is forcing farmers to pay more to keep /acquire more ground to farm .To that I say not in anyway even close .to being true Farmers are falling over trying to rent more ground and seemingly there is no ceiling to what those payments end up being .. And another thing I see is some farmers feel they can produce themselves into being a profitable operation .My thought is what needs to be done is make some tough choices and become more cost effective Spending more money to increase your gross income does not make it more profitable Afew years ago a friend was complaining to me about the government had passed some stimulus bill and his opinion was there was a huge amount of PORK BARREL ITEMS in the bill . I looked it up and yes some of it was senators moving money around to someone that going to benefit from personally At the same time there was money allocated for helping homeless veterans have a place to live Another program was designed to assist those who had mental health needs A program was included to help people o further their education .A school lunch program for those kids that where coming to school and had not had anything to eat that day I pointed out that some of the money would appear to be a waste of taxpayer money But I also said if the programs are run in the way that the needs of the right people are being meet than it is a good thing. His reply was that too much of those programs are mismanaged And I responded with it is our responsibility to make sure that does not happen He answered that I was missing his point How the government was throwing money around And I finally said that he would also be receiving a check from the government as a result of the stimulus bill being passed And if he was so against the bill he was entitled to return his check rather than cash it At which time he quickly told me his check was already spent .Those doing the right thing regarding conservation practices need not feel like they are taking an unfair advantage of any program that is in place to achieve a better environment for all of society And those that meet the regulations and are able to receive the same type of monetary return for getting the program work to their future