Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Wildlife Management Re enrollment of CRP trees

All,

If you have land in CRP, or are thinking about enrolling land in CRP, listen up.

I just found out that in this current signup, that the USDA is not allowing people to re-enroll wildlife shelterbelts that were installed as part of a prior CRP signup. It looks like the southern US will have some type of exemption from this, but the northern states are apparently out of luck.

This all appears to be due in essence to some bureaucrat's issues with the habitat program number (ie CP number) that the trees were initially enrolled under, and the various fluctuating technical guidelines that tree plantings have been established under in the past 25 years. They are evidently trying to streamline some bean counting issues, but in true DC fashion, fail to understand the implications of their actions.

The crisis lies in the fact that these thick, dense shelterbelts are what pulls wildlife through winters like we just came through, when the grass fields and cattails are blown in with snow. Each acre of these shelterbelts cost thousands of dollars to install and maintain free of weeds, and provides not only wildlife benefits, but also slows wind erosion, and is the most permanent form of carbon sequestration we have.

These mixed species tree belts should have the highest EBI scores possible, and yet USDA doesn't want to allow them to be reenrolled. If this decision is not reversed immediately, the presidence will be set, and over the next 15 years we stand to loose thousands of acres of this most critical habitat. Moreover, future CRP enrollees will be disincentivized to put in trees belts.

Don't assume that landowners won't tear out these trees and go back to row crop production. We are seeing 50 year old shelterbelts being torn out every year in eastern SD/ND and western MN, as farmers see $6 corn and $13 beans.

I would encourage you to contact your local and state USDA offices to register complaints, and more importantly to contact your congressional delegations to put immediate pressure on USDA to reverse this misguided decision.

We are already 1/3 of the way through the CRP signup, so time is critical. Please help us get them to reverse this decision.

Bill

Humm...

This doesn't sound too good. I'm going to have to stop at the farm and talk with my wife's uncle to see what is going on.

I tried to put my land in CRP. Was no possible because my land has never been registered as farmland even though it's been a pasture/hay field for 100 yrs. Thanks government for nothing.. Luckily I found a really cool state biologist through this process that helps people wanting to manage their property by using government/state funds and dispersing them to people who don't qualify for CRP..

Complaining to your local offices will do no good. Contact your Congressional delegations, over and over again! The squeaky wheel gets the oil.

I think I will like this program. I have complete control over the land without any kind of contracts..

Off the subject a bit, but does anyone know if there is any goverment grants , assistance, or low interest loans to build a pond.

The NRCS used to have them but I believe it has been discontinued.