Quail Habitat Disappearing; CP-33 is the Solution
Jun. 18, 2008
Conservation officials say this federal program gives farmers an economically practical alternative to plowing under wildlife habitat
Jefferson City, Missouri - The upward trend in corn prices is prompting some farmers to bulldoze brushy fencerows and plant marginal land around field edges. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency offers an alternative that helps farmers improve their bottom line while letting them keep habitat for quail and other wildlife.
The alternative is enrolling land in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), a soil- and wildlife-conservation program that has been around since 1987. The original goal of the program was to pay landowners to plant grass or other cover on highly erodible cropland to prevent soil erosion. During CRP’s 20-year life it has been augmented with provisions that let participating landowners actively manage enrolled acres for wildlife and livestock forage. CRP, along with state-funded programs, even offers help with wildlife-friendly practices.
One provision, known as Conservation Practice 33 - CP33 for short - was begun to pay farmers to create healthy places for quail and other wildlife along the edges of crop fields by converting crop acres into buffer plantings 30 to 120 feet wide. This works especially well where crops bordering woods tend to be less productive5.
Missouri farmers are third in the nation in enrolling land in CP33. To date, they have signed up 27,500 acres. That is a good thing for wildlife, but it is only a beginning. Missouri landowners could enroll another 4,700 acres before the state’s CP33 allocation is filled.
In studying the financial impact of CP33 on participating farmers, the University of Missouri Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (FAPRI) found that CP33 improved landowners’ bottom line on a representative sample of farms. On two out of three representative farms, landowners made $30 to $65 per acre more each year on CP 33 strips than they would have if they had cropped the same areas. Farms with a significant amount of wheat and double-crop soybeans may not see an increase in income resulting from buffers.
In addition to making more money from marginal acres, many landowners report seeing more quail where they have created CP33 buffers. A nationwide study has shown that crop fields with CP33 field borders support higher populations than crop fields without borders.
A 2005 study by the University of Missouri in central Missouri also revealed that native grass field borders, such as those planted in CP33, significantly reduced corn earworm infestation in adjacent corn fields. Buffers also prevent damage to farm equipment from overhanging tree branches.
CP33 is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency. For more information, visit www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/ and click on “State Offices,” then “County Offices.” An office near you can provide details and help with enrollment.
Jim Low