Disturbing trend??

UGUIDE

UGUIDE

Active member
Well I think we all know CRP acres are going to suffer in the future with high grain prices and the federal budget not being able to support the 32 million acre cap in the current farm bill.

I did a little analysis, thanks to another USDA farm cropping database, that shows a trend in at least the south central part of South Dakota that may be similar to the trend that has occurred in areas to the east.

What I noticed while searching thru the last 5 years or so is a decline in alfalfa and wheat acres along with native grasses & pasture. In addition one would understand that ehre would be an offsetting increase in soybean and corn acres.

If we look at areas that have high high pheasant numbers in the stane like central, west, and north central we will find that they do not have the presence of a majority of corn or bean acres but more alfalfa and wheat, milo, etc.

One main thing I notice this year is that never has my habitat been so good and never have the birds been so low which leads me to believe that it is always habitat that makes the difference but weather can really knock things back.

The golden triangle in SD is doing well on birds and there are some areas that have as many birds as last year if not even more.
 
I can honestly say that I have never seen as much habitat destructions personally as this year.

Just today, there is 160a of grasslands that fell victim to a disc/digger and 3 farm groves that are being tore out. ONe can only guess why.

Not to mention how much further into the fencelines farmers are tilling, particularly in central SD.

It's sad, I tell ya.
 
Never

As long a my wife or myself lives there will never be a reduction of habitat on our farm and hopefully there will be increases in GOOD Quality habitat. I'm always looking for ways to make it better.
Keep up the good fight, I know I will.:);)
 
SDJIM said:
As long a my wife or myself lives there will never be a reduction of habitat on our farm and hopefully there will be increases in GOOD Quality habitat. I'm always looking for ways to make it better.
Keep up the good fight, I know I will.:);)
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Thank you Jim!
 
I fail to understand the logic behind destroying thousand acres of habitat located along public rights of way only to keep people from hunting it. This is simply due to greed and intolerance and the people who are doing it should go to church and actually listen to the preacher when he speaks on these two subjects, and take it to heart.
 
I think that much of this will stop or turn around if we can put a stop to corn ethanol subsidies.

I also hunted South Dakota this year and could not believe the amount of land tied up in pay to play operations. I have heard people complain about it but never figured it was so prevalent.
 
ranchodeluxe said:
I fail to understand the logic behind destroying thousand acres of habitat located along public rights of way only to keep people from hunting it. This is simply due to greed and intolerance and the people who are doing it should go to church and actually listen to the preacher when he speaks on these two subjects, and take it to heart.
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It is called economics. I have been in agriculture over 40 years. These are the times that we dreamed would come someday. Small fortunes are being made as land values inflates and production is high and valuable at the same time. Like it or not that is how it is. If you are worth $20 per hour are you going to work for $12 or are you going to work for what you are worth. It is the same with land if it can Net $400 per acre should a guy settle for $150. His families future depends on what he does. It is not destroyed to keep people from hunting it. It is destroyed to generate revenue.
 
haymaker said:
It is called economics. I have been in agriculture over 40 years. These are the times that we dreamed would come someday. Small fortunes are being made as land values inflates and production is high and valuable at the same time. Like it or not that is how it is. If you are worth $20 per hour are you going to work for $12 or are you going to work for what you are worth. It is the same with land if it can Net $400 per acre should a guy settle for $150. His families future depends on what he does. It is not destroyed to keep people from hunting it. It is destroyed to generate revenue.
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if the landowner needs to hay the road right of way to make ends meet, he probably has other issues.
 
hunter94 said:
if the landowner needs to hay the road right of way to make ends meet, he probably has other issues.
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My mistake I thought you were talking about land comimg out of CRP. Ditches are a different deal that is state law to keep the roads open in the winter. Hiways are not cut until the 1st or 15th of july to let nesting happen.
Township roads have to be cut around the 1st of october.
 
haymaker said:
My mistake I thought you were talking about land comimg out of CRP. Ditches are a different deal that is state law to keep the roads open in the winter. Hiways are not cut until the 1st or 15th of july to let nesting happen.
Township roads have to be cut around the 1st of october.
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that's funny, there is a lot of non compliance with lots of natural cover in many ditches left untouched.......some guys even plant alfalfa in the ditches and cut and bale it, now that is pure greed, but to each his own......we sure wouldn't want to see someone go hungry now...:eek:
 
hunter94 said:
that's funny, there is a lot of non compliance with lots of natural cover in many ditches left untouched.......some guys even plant alfalfa in the ditches and cut and bale it, now that is pure greed, but to each his own......we sure wouldn't want to see someone go hungry now...:eek:
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Well I won't speak for the rest of the state but in the township that I live in the township roads that are maintained by the township are to be mowed by the 1st of oct. If they are not somone will and apply the cost of that mowing to the taxes. If it is a road that is not maintained by the township it is up to the land owners what they do with it since they do pay taxes to the middle of the road.
 
haymaker said:
It is called economics. I have been in agriculture over 40 years. These are the times that we dreamed would come someday. Small fortunes are being made as land values inflates and production is high and valuable at the same time. Like it or not that is how it is. If you are worth $20 per hour are you going to work for $12 or are you going to work for what you are worth. It is the same with land if it can Net $400 per acre should a guy settle for $150. His families future depends on what he does. It is not destroyed to keep people from hunting it. It is destroyed to generate revenue.
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Meet me at the Murdo Truck Stop tomorrow, I will buy you breakfast and we will take a little drive, perhaps you can explain to me how burning-out a ROW or discing it but not planting anything can be of any economic value.
 
haymaker said:
Well I won't speak for the rest of the state but in the township that I live in the township roads that are maintained by the township are to be mowed by the 1st of oct. If they are not somone will and apply the cost of that mowing to the taxes. If it is a road that is not maintained by the township it is up to the land owners what they do with it since they do pay taxes to the middle of the road.
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i won't dispute your statement, but i have hunted in a lot of different places in SD over the years, and several areas from Gettysburg east this season and i have never seen an entire township, with all the ditches mowed to the fencelines yet.
 
I was kind of hoping to do a little deer hunting in the morning and the Murdo truck stop is probably 3 hrs away. Burning a ditch is a common way to take care of the snow issue, if it can be done and stay under control. I suppose that it is possible that someone burns to discourage road hunting. It is rare around here but a good way to get rid of thistle seed.
 
haymaker said:
I was kind of hoping to do a little deer hunting in the morning and the Murdo truck stop is probably 3 hrs away. Burning a ditch is a common way to take care of the snow issue, if it can be done and stay under control. I suppose that it is possible that someone burns to discourage road hunting. It is rare around here but a good way to get rid of thistle seed.
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And a good way to keep out the rif-raf.
 
I don't think we have all that much rif raf around here. I wish you good hunting and I hope you can find some ditches that aren't mowed.
 
Haymaker you make the most valid points on this trend is that the economics is a big driver for these cropping changes.

It remains to be seen how far west the corn belt will push into. When one looks at the type of crops in the west river areas that have high bird numbers in begins to be no surprise.

How raod ditches look in June/July is a lot different that how thay look or how they are required to look in October.

Additionally, most landowners prefer hunting deer than pheasants if hunting anything at all. Back to haymakers point that when that bird provides economic incentive to farm for that income then I suppose the landowner is going to have good reason to do that.

You get a lot of CRP going in when it makes economic sense and alot of it coming out when it doesn't.

The "silent killer" here of what the thread is about is the declining acres that benefits bird production: Winter wheat, alfalfa and native pasture to name a few. Everyone speaks as though CRP is the only reason there are pheasants around and I suspect that is not the 100% reason.

Obviously the weather is the single biggest factor in the last year so I hope I am wrong about the declining habitats on Agricultural acres.
 
haymaker said:
It is called economics. I have been in agriculture over 40 years. These are the times that we dreamed would come someday. Small fortunes are being made as land values inflates and production is high and valuable at the same time. Like it or not that is how it is. If you are worth $20 per hour are you going to work for $12 or are you going to work for what you are worth. It is the same with land if it can Net $400 per acre should a guy settle for $150. His families future depends on what he does. It is not destroyed to keep people from hunting it. It is destroyed to generate revenue.
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Finally someone else understands the facts of the current situation. Unfortunatly most people who hunt pheasants do not understand the things you have outlined. Soon the comments of "big ag" will come.

By the way UGUIDE nice to have you back stiring the pot.
 
moellermd said:
Soon the comments of "big ag" will come.

By the way UGUIDE nice to have you back stiring the pot.
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Glad to be back and now that I am not MOD you will have to keep me in check MMD:D

Let me be the first to cry BIG AG! I am getting into this first hand as I get away from cash rent on my farm crop acres and go in on shares.

Big Ag is an economic force to be reckoned with. That's all I will say about that and they can be very influential.

My new challenge is to put wheat bean and corn acres on my 2 farms at all times and try to make that fly economically. I've got a lot to learn in that area. Years worth I suspect.
 
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