Quote:
Originally Posted by
stoneycreekhabitatspecial
Many of you may be interested in a new government program that can benefit all kinds of wildlife as well as having great financial incentives. There are two new programs, one is called diverse grassland and the other is native pollinator.
Moderator "Neal" will add attachments soon and you can contact me for further information.
May I?
Conservation Reserve Program - State Acres For Wildlife Enhancement (CRP-SAFE)
On March 22, 2007, FSA announced a new CRP initiative, State Acres For Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE). SAFE allows producers to install practices that benefit high priority State wildlife conservation objectives through the use of targeted restoration of vital habitat. The program, which was the result of an agreement between USDA Farm Service Agency, USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service, wildlife management agencies, conservation and commodity groups - such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Nature Conservancy, Pheasants Forever, the Michigan Department of Agriculture, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the Michigan Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association - was announced in January 2008.
Sign-up to enroll land in the new Conservation Reserve Program practice, called State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (CRP-SAFE), began in Michigan on July 1. The goal of SAFE is to create 7,500 acres of diverse grasslands in 18 southern Michigan counties (Barry, Branch, Calhoun, Clinton, Eaton, Genesee, Hillsdale, Ingham, Ionia, Jackson, Kalamazoo, Lapeer, Lenawee, Livingston, Monroe, Shiawassee, St. Joseph and Washtenaw) and 2,500 acres of pollinator habitat in 22 counties in the western Lower Peninsula (Allegan, Antrim, Barry, Benzie, Berrien, Cass, Charlevoix, Emmet, Grand Traverse, Kalamazoo, Kalkaska, Kent, Lake, Leelanau, Manistee, Mason, Muskegon, Newaygo, Oceana, Ottawa, Van Buren, and Wexford).
Landowners who choose to participate in the new practice may receive 90 percent of the cost of converting cropland into wildlife habitat, and in some cases 100 percent. In addition, they will receive rental payments for a minimum of 10 years and have the option for enrolling for up to 15 years. Participants will also receive a signing incentive payment equal to $100.00 or $150.00 per acre, depending on contract length, upon enrollment into the program.
http://www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/stateoff...&topic=landing
These Continuous CRP programs are really great - you can't beat the financial incentives, that is, if you want to take the land out of cropping.
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