New CRP Debate: Crops vs. Wildlife

A wildlife habitat crisis is brewing, especially in middle America. Thousands of farmers are seriously debating whether or not to pull millions of their acres out of the federal Conservation Reserve Program. For the last 20 years CRP has paid landowners roughly $50 an acre not to plow and plant their land. As the lands have sat idle for 10 years and grown tangled with trees, shrubs, brush and grass, game has flourished. CRP has been a huge factor in the big-buck boom across the Midwest, not to mention all the pheasants.

Now the prices a farmer can get for corn and other commodities are soaring (not to mention the ethanol factor). "I'm all for conservation," a North Dakota farmer said in this good article. "But the market is the market -- farmers are businessmen, too." 

Opinions are flying. Most people, including me, do not begrudge a man’s right to make money off his land. Farming is damn tough business. But then there are people who say: “The farmers can’t have it both ways. When crop prices were in the tank, they took the money from CRP and ran. Now that they can make more by planting more, they want to say the hell with it, let me plant every acre I can.”

Big Daddy posted the other day: The world is a lot bigger than hunting. Yes, there are millions of hard-working Americans with no dog in the hunting/wildlife fight who believe that if farmers can plant more acres and grow more crops, and if that will help keep soaring food prices down, do it. They don’t give a wit about a cock pheasant or a buck deer, they want to feed their families and make ends meet. Tough as hell to argue with them.

One thing is for sure: If and when more CRP acres are cleared and planted, wildlife will lose. Deer will still survive and thrive in the edges, but there will be less cover to grow as many old, big bucks. Hunters will lose access to more private acres, which is perhaps an even bigger issue. Clean air and water quality will suffer.

It’s another tough but important issue driven by our new economy. So what do you hunters and farmers think?

Comments

[JJ]

ah, your govt. subsidies--people love em when times are tough, then when something better comes along (make more $ on corn), they are outta there and say hell with it. like always wildlife suffers.

[Chad]

A lot of the CRP ground here in NW Ohio where I live is in or near flood plain areas, which means that crops don't do well there. Hopefully most of the CRP ground stays in the program.

[Doug In Wisconsin]

I have a real hard time telling anybody what to do with their land. Yeah, the famrers have been taking the subsidies from the gubment for years. You have to remember that not only did the farmers benefit from the CRP money. The deer benefited from it, too. Which also means that we hard core big buck hunters benefited from it as well. Would we have shot some of the bucks we've shot without CRP? Even if our land wasn't in it (ours is not) we benefited indirectly from the other farmers that did.

[jstreet]

I say it's the farmer's ground to use as they see fit. I understand the argument about taking CRP money when times were tough, but who amongst us wouldn't take advantage of what is presented by the government?

Would you continue to pay the same amount in taxes if your tax rate dropped? Would you continue to pay the same property tax rate if it dropped? Of course you wouldn't.

The deer will do what they've been doing for years. Adapt.

Jim

[Don3]

I have to say I agree with Jim on this one!!!

Don3

[Scott]

I think we will see a lot of CRP land get plowed up and planted. Its the farmers land, do with it as you like. I think there's a lot of CRP land that won't get touched either because of what Chad was saying. A lot of this property just won't produce a good enough crop to make a profit on. I think the deer will be able to adapt to this with not much problem.

[Nicholas Wright]

Mike and all-
a branch off of this conversation....
we need to get out of the business of growing corn for ethanol.. its not helping, its costing.....

Certain types of prairie grasses (strand???) are much better for the production of ethanol and cost less..

I don't remember the exact numbers in a F&S article a while back but when you see how much gas it takes to make ethanol from corn you will say to yourself, "Now isn't that defeating the purpose??!!"....

If someone has the numbers please post, It's quite striking, actually shocking....

Have a good day all.
Mike keep up the great blog- good discussions that keep the conversation open and going.
something that is lacking in this world of ours.

Nick Wright

[Tim]

I believe it is about 2.8 gallons of ethonal per bushel of corn (56 lbs.). But what some do not realize is that about 40% of what is called distillers grain is left for use as livestock feed supplements. I agree corn based ethonal is not the answer, but it has made Americans realize that we must become more self-sufficent and will hopefully lead to different based ethonal products.

Festus

[Tim]

Sorry Nick, You were wondering about how much fuel it takes to create a gallon of ethonal, not how much ethonal from a bushel of corn, my bad! I don't have that answer.

Festus

[Big Daddy]

I was born an raised on a 600 acre poor dirt farm. Where my father and his father busted their butts to raise their families off of. an when my brother sister and I were olde enuogh to work in those fields we busted our butts too until the day came when each of us went off to serve our country thus enabling each of us to get enough grant money for college so we could pursue a career other than trying to push corn and wheat up thru red dirt.
I've never met a farmer whom didn't enjoy all wildlife an wasn't willing to share his land with it.
Times change nothing remains the same. With the aid of modern chemicals today that same red dirt produces more corn per acre than my grandfather could ever have imagined. The Gov't not only offered us $ for CRP they encouraged us to take it an leave those fields go fallow...to keep a grip on grain/corn prices. Now they're asking us to grow corn for ethonal and food on that very same ground.Sort of the last arc in the circle as I see it.
We Americans are a spoiled lot. So spoiled we've allowed our recreational use of land to dictate to our common sense. Do we feed a nations hungry, fuel their SUV or allow land to lay barren so we can feed our egos on 170" bucks?
As a nation we've not seen a revolt in this country in our lifetimes but when OUR masses go hungry 'cause they can't buy a loaf of bread or need to resort to riding a bicycle to the doctor's office during the winter with a sick child...we will. how many years do you think we are from that??? 5,10,25...think about it. And then that 150" buck living out on grasslands will seem pretty silly...won't it?????

[ian in wisconsin]

we lease out the field we have on our farm to one of my dads high school buddys for farming we take in enouhgh from that to pay all the taxes on the land. we also have about 25 acres in the crp program not only does my dads buddy wants us to take it out he also wants to take out all the line fences that hold phesents chuckers and the ocassion turkey nest.

[Silverback]

Big Daddy, I do agree that there is a bigger picture here. By the way, not only do farms get paid for crp land (which holds and nurture's better animals), it also help them charge more for hunts. About ten years ago you could get a hunt for $1000 a week, now they are asking $2500 to $3500 a week.

[Big Daddy]

read my comment about this under the topic :Gas food prices and Economics

[Silverback]

Big Daddy, I did read your comments under: Gas food prices & Economics. You are hitting the nail on the head.

[Flatlander]

i believe i have a rare situation, that would be a good model to follow where people can make it work. i have been working part time for a friend who bought land and made it a privately funded nature conservation area with the goal of helping all wildlige, with a main focus on whitetail. we are changing small JUNK areas
(non farmable narrow strips) and getting the max use for food plots, hardwoods plantings, brush piles/cover etc. hopefully this will be a model for smaller land parcels that the average hunter can help a non farming/hunting landowner improve their prop. with minimal expense (mainly elbow grease) which we all have if we want something bad enough. If everyone with 20-40 acres rural ground would convert 1-2 acres (made up of 1/8 acre areas)to bennfit wildlife and use a little common sense, we will have cover for game.
YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE 1 ACRE AT A TIME,
I HAVE A WALL FULL OF HIDE AND HORNS TO PROVE IT...........you just gotta want it and work together with land owners....... offer them something that benenfits you both

[BIGKAHUNA]

Well I feel that farmers have taken a beaten forever especially in the past. Farming is harder than I want to work and as time progresses things are never gonna be the same. We're gonna have to adapt to everything just like the deer. Farmers and anyone for that matter in this day and age have to do what ever it takes to survive and its because the government sets the bar so high. Its all big bussiness and if you dont take advantage of an oppurtunity to provide for your family in years to come you'll be left out in the cold. Still all in all I feel that they should set a limit on how many acres needs to be left for wildlife.

[Rodger]

Who in God's Green Earth hunts on less than a thousand acres? What do ya'll have? Like one deer per acre?

[Dan Salmon]

BIGKAHUNA just said it all!!

"Farming is harder than I want to work..."

This is the attitude of America and the reason that so many things have gone so wrong and continue to get worse in this country. Also, I think that this is the reason that deer hunting has taken such a blow. It's just easier to shot from the truck with a spotlight, than set up stands, sit out in the cold, etc.

Brilliant, at least someone will admit it!

[Carl Sinbad]

Thought maybe you guys would like to see McCain's view on this topic...have look:

www.outdoorlife.com

[BIGKAHUNA]

Well Danny boy, lets not forget that the greatest thing about living here is that I can choose to work as hard as I want! Farming isnt for everyone. But plenty of people choose to be farmers. I choose not to. That doesnt mean that I dont work hard at what I do. Each individual has his or her talents and take on the job oppurtunities that fit them best. As for the deer I dont think they have taken a blow as of yet and as far as I am concerned deer huntin is better than its ever been and its because of the american people who support the fine art of hunting! But again, I will state the fact that the government is the one who sets the rules and guidelines that we have to live by. So everyday when I go to work, and thats (working as hard as I choose) of course, when it comes payday they dam sure got their hands in my pocket in more ways than one.

[Dan Salmon]

BIGKAHUNA,

It wasn't meant as an attack and am sorry for it seeming that way.

I'm just trying to get across the point that more and more, young Americans look down upon the minimum wage job and seem to think that they are entitled to making wages equal to the older Americans who have been working for years and years to get where they are just because they are an American and their hard working parents have never made them have to do anything.

It is sad to see that America is in love with "Reality TV" and video games. I say get off our asses and go make a difference.

[BIGKAHUNA]

Alright when you express it in that manner that sounds a whole lot better. Well its all good. Some things depending on your mood tend to srike you differently than others. Its a cool blog and its good to hear everyones opionion. Good Huntin.