|
|
|
Field day shows quail can thrive amid farmlandMissouri Northern bobwhite quail were once abundant in Missouri. Over the last 30 years, however, their numbers have declined more than 70 percent as modern farming techniques erased prime quail habitat. The good news is that quail can coexist with modern agriculture, as demonstrated during a June 26 field day at the University of Missouri's Bradford Research and Extension Center. "We had a great turnout," said Bob Pierce, MU Extension wildlife specialist. "The audience was made up of a large percentage of agricultural producers--and that was our target audience for this particular field day." Attendees packed a large conference room for a one-hour presentation before embarking on wagon tours of areas where Pierce and BREC superintendent Tim Reinbott have tested a number of habitat-management practices. Audubon Society bird counts have recorded a 23-fold increase in the quail population at BREC since 2003. Quail need a variety of closely clustered ground-cover types for nesting, brood-rearing, roosting and other activities. Landowners can provide that cover through a variety of techniques. Some practices, Reinbott said, are as simple as leaving shrubs and bushes in unused land to provide escape cover for quail. "Edge feathering"--thinning trees at woodland edges--allows shrubs and annual weeds to emerge, providing quail with both cover and food in the form of seeds. Planting legumes provides seeds and attracts insects for bobwhite hatchlings to eat. Strip disking--disturbing long strips of soil with a disk or harrow--breaks up overly dense vegetation, clearing the way for the mixture of bare ground, annual grasses and forbs (broadleaf plants) that quail need. For many landowners, creating quail habitat entails converting acreage currently used for crops. But that doesn't necessarily mean productivity has to suffer. "Habitat management can be successfully integrated into the ongoing farm management objectives, and these practices can provide economic as well as agronomic benefits," Pierce said. Reinbott notes that planting fields from fence row to fence row isn't profitable. Crops tend to become smaller and less robust at field borders. Converting these areas to buffers containing native warm-season grasses and other bobwhite-friendly vegetation can both provide quail habitat and address problems of yield loss at field edges. Buffer zones may also provide farmers with extra income. The USDA Farm Service Agency's Conservation Reserve Program pays qualifying farmers to employ conservation practices aimed at controlling erosion, safeguarding groundwater and protecting wildlife. Under CRP provision CP33, eligible farmers can receive per-acre payments to convert selected cropland into buffers suitable for quail and other wildlife. Pierce notes that the first step for those who want to make their land more quail-friendly is to assess their land's potential for meeting quail habitat requirements. University of Missouri Extension's "Missouri Bobwhite Quail Habitat Appraisal Guide" (MP902), available for purchase or free download at http://extension.missouri.edu/explore/agguides/, simplifies this process with step-by-step instructions and a worksheet. A new MU Extension guide, "Quail-Friendly Plants of the Midwest" (MP903), offers detailed information on identifying and managing plants that provide food and cover for bobwhite quail. In addition to Pierce, speakers included Missouri Department of Conservation wildlife biologist Tom Dailey, who discussed research on controlling quail predators and outlined the process of counting quail coveys to gauge appropriate harvest numbers.
Date: 7/31/08 Advertisement
Copyright/Privacy
Copyright 1995-2009. High Plains Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Any republishing of these pages, including electronic reproduction of the editorial archives or classified advertising, is strictly prohibited. If you have questions or comments you can reach us at High Plains Journal 1500 E. Wyatt Earp Blvd., P.O. Box 760, Dodge City, KS 67801 or call 1-800-452-7171. Email: webmaster@hpj.com |
Market Snapshot Inside Futures |
