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CRP haying and grazing good for farmers, ranchers, waterfowlThe announcement from the USDA to open up select lands in the Conservation Reserve Program to haying and grazing will be a boon for farmers, ranchers, waterfowl, and taxpayers that will benefit from a cost-effective solution for feeding our nation's cattle. Ducks Unlimited supports this decision to provide much needed relief to America's ranchers through wisely managed CRP lands. This action will maintain the viability of the program in the face of high pressure to open the land to conversion and cultivation that threatens grass-based agriculture. DU has long said that well managed ranching and duck nesting habitat work well together, and this move underscores how CRP serves both cattle and waterfowl. Without the land being protected under the Conservation Reserve Program, we would not have the needed reserves to protect grass-based agriculture. The 20 years of success that CRP has enjoyed is evident in the additional 2.2 million ducks, in the fall flight, that originate on CRP land each year. In addition, CRP is responsible for more than 13 million pheasants and more than 170,000 miles of protected streams, and protection of millions of tons of topsoil that would have otherwise eroded away. In addition to the benefits of CRP land to waterfowl and cattle herds, the program has also been responsible for protecting thousands of acres of wetlands that have been critical to mitigating the effects of droughts, like the one that the Great Plains is experiencing now. Allowing managed haying and grazing on select CRP land will maintain those mitigating qualities, while providing some relief from the dry conditions. Large expanses of CRP are critical to waterfowl and wildlife, but so is maintaining a viable ranching industry. Having CRP evolve to continue to work for ranchers is critical to sustaining the ranching industry, as well as supporting wildlife populations across the prairie pothole region. --Barton James, Director of Agriculture Conservation Policy, Ducks Unlimited 7/7/08 Date: 7/1/08
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