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Concern about CRP changes among pheasant huntersWINONA, Minn. (AP)--Advocates for pheasant and quail hunters are concerned that new rule changes that allow Conservation Reserve Program lands to be used for haying and grazing this summer and fall could infringe on major nesting habitat. The federal program, begun in 1985, pays farmers to idle their lands to conserve soil and protect wildlife. Lands enrolled in CRP are prime habitats for game birds, but those same lands are quickly becoming lucrative places to cash in on rising commodity prices. "I've kind of got mixed reactions right now," said Scott Roemhildt, regional representative for 38 Pheasants Forever and Quails Forever chapters in southern Minnesota. Roemhildt, who has CRP acres on his hobby horse and cattle farm in Mankato, said, "It's difficult when your barn's out of hay and you look out at that beautiful CRP land and wish you could harvest it." The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently opened more than 24 million acres of CRP lands for hay harvesting and grazing between Aug. 2 and Nov. 10 to help ease the sting of record feed prices for livestock farmers. The changes have the potential of turning a million acres of unused Minnesota prairies into production, depending on how many farmers enroll. Roemhildt and other Pheasant Forever advocates know farmers need the help. And they applaud that the allowance starts after the bird-nesting season and the rules avoid erosion-sensitive and rare wildlife habitat lands. But Pheasant Forever officials aren't happy about the Nov. 10 ending date. They think it's too late into frost season and won't provide enough time for growing cover for next year's nesting season. "If there's strong implementation for these provisions, it is going to have an impact this fall for hunters finding places to hunt," said Dave Nomsen, Pheasants Forever's vice president of government affairs. "A lot of this forage has been available traditionally in the past, but it goes back to the question of how extensive utilization will be," Nomsen said. Meanwhile, Nomsen sees a bigger issue: the message the rule changes send about the value of CRP lands. As 10- and 15-year CRP contracts are set to expire this fall and in coming years, many agriculture officials say--and conservationists fear--farmers will not re-up and instead begin growing crops to capitalize on recent high commodity prices. Some farmers may even pay a penalty to leave the program early to cash in on crops. "Sportsmen and sportswomen of all types--whether you're a fisher or a hunter--you need to be concerned about CRP land," said Bob St. Pierre, Pheasants Forever's marketing and public relations director. "They're cleaning our waters; they're keeping our soils on the ground where they should be." St. Pierre said there has been a "tremendous" rise in CRP lands over the last 20 years, but it's now on the decrease because of the foreign oil demand, feedstock prices and the push for ethanol. 7/14/08 Date: 7/3/08 Advertisement
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