Expiring CRP by County in MT

CRP or CPR

With Congress and the current Presidentail Administration in such a gridlock, I question if we will see too much support for a continued agressive CRP program. On the flip side of that (considering current historic high grain prices) is it warranted? OH Boy!!!! I hear the rumblings already.
Bucketmouth
 
Looking at it county by county the biggest loss of CRP is in the counties with the highest pheasant production.

With the cost of production these days and the bushel per acre break even I can't see taking a chance on all the marginal, erosion prone land. A drought and wind, You won't see the sun.:(

I seen thousands of acres of grass in Richland, Roosevelt and Sheridan Counties worked up last Fall and ready for Wheat this Spring. Dang!
 
Really --- with todays no till drill technology you speak of uncontrollable erosion!! Educate yourself and be sympathetic to farmers that have struggled with poverty based prices for crops for years.
Bucketmouth
 
Tilling erosion prone land is asking for more of the poverty you speak of.
Yeah, there's crop insurance.

There is some Winter wheat.
 
I have been directly involved in Cattle Ranching and crop production for ummmm 40 something years.:eek:
Greed is a temporary fix. Good managers whether farmers or in any business have had little trouble battling poverty.
Good farm managers would know that tilling up the highly erodible land is NOT going to work. The top soil was blown away a long time ago. Whats left is grit, coarse soils that have little moisture holding value.
Maybe luckout with a moist year, most likely it will be dry.
Eastern MT has 10-12 inches of annual precipitation.
Trouble is it doesn't often come at opportune times. And some years will get 30 and some years will get 2. :(
 
Besides that, :) I have NEVER seen no till on CRP, Grasslands, Pasturelands or hay lands. They till the crap out of it.:eek:
 
Last year during the high winds of the season's second week there was so much blowing soil from tilled farms and areas burned by grass fires East of Medicine Lake it looked like one of the big forest fires we get out here.
 
I am 100% in support of good conservation and habitat management and also respect the family farm and all the hard work and problems they face.

But I do not agree with all the clean farming and removal of native priaires and wetlands.....just to add more land for crops! Regardless of the high ag/grain prices.....we all must consider ourselves stewards of the land and provide a voice for good conservation practices!

How can tilling up native grasslands, marginal land and wetlands help us in the long run....? I think history will repeat itself and another dustbowl could loom on the horizon......not to mention the utter loss of top soil and wildlife habitat....

I see more and more land being totally wrecked all over the US......even here in Kentucky farms are removing all over the tree lines and fence rows to make way for more crops....

Greed is never the answer......

HB68
 
farming

it's not greed. it's banks wanting to be paid back on loans. it's farm co-op's wanting to have their bills owed to them being paid. it's called going to the grocery store to buy food your family.it's called pride in being successfull with your farm and family. give me a break!!!!!! wouldn't you want to be successfull in your job?you obviously have no clue about farming,and what a farmer or rancher does to SURVIVE!
 
SanJuan.....

If you will take another look at my post......you should note that I did mention the respect I have for the small / family farmer......

However myself and most other bird hunters and conservationists agree that what is happening to our prairies and rural landscape is shocking.....

The loss of habitat is staggering due to clean farming, removal of native grasses and draining of our wetlands.....

40% of the corn grown in the US goes to ethanol production......

CRP is at record lows and the future of our sporting tradition is under attack!

Those who do not heed history.....are certain to repeat!

Growing extra crops to support your family is one thing.......but the systematic destruction of our native prairies is a crime!

The dust bowl of the 1930's prompted the implementation of massive conservation programs including the Soil Bank.....

If every land owner across the USA removed all of his trees, weedy draws, fence rows and drained the wetlands.......to make way for more row crops......how would that look?

What legacy would we have for our future generations?

The tradition of birdhunting, classic bird dogs, strong conservation and respect for our land is my passion!
 
life

that's great that you have respect for farmers. don't use a public chat room to bitch and put farmers down! every kernal of grain,every vegetable grown,every pound of meat,every pound of milk that is grown,raised,goes to paying a farmers bills. farmers have soo much more than a lunchbox invested in their operations or business's.when every penny you are able to grow or raise is soo needed to survive,you do what you have to! i hunt birds in iowa and i totally understand why the farms are trying to be efficiant as possible.our family milks cows. try making a living as we and other farmers try?i don't think you and alot of other people realize what is involved.most farmers do try to be stewards of the land,reality has to be the bottom line!!
 
i know plenty of farmers & get along fine with small town country farmers just fine i swear man i have never herd 1 damn farmer say its either me or the pheasants!!!???

there has got to be a better way to put the needless destruction of wild game habitat then its either i plow this small remaining prairie/wet land habitat that has not been in production for god knows how long or me & my family will just up & starve to death or go broke??? if the family farm depends on that 1 or 2 acre chunk of wind break being bulldozed or wet land being burnt & tiled then i doubt the farm will make it into the years to come???

i mean to turn over all the fields & not leave any stubble in fields or any kind of nesting cover from fence to fence or food is just plain greed or stupidity its the throw away mentality who care if we dont have a deer/duck/pheasant/turkey i can go to the store & buy my food is what we are dealing with now days no land stewardship like mentioned above...

i understand farmers are not into farming for wildlife & they have to feed there family & its great to be a productive farmer & making $$$ but there is a aspect of greed in modern farmers now days the more & more farmers try to deny that fact while buying a new truck for the teen age son to drive around in every other year is get n old...

im scared of what going to happen when all these farmers destroying habitat needlesslys kids grow up to control the land if there any wildlife left then its doomed as they will respect the land/wildlife even more i suspect??? god i hope not!!!

i remember when farm houses used to have trees or wind breaks planted around the home in farm country now every year i see them being bulldozed & the next year crops write up to the house man who the heck wants to sit & stare at a bare picked field if you had trees & wildlife to look at??? but each to there own i guess its just crazy
 
There are for sure LOTS of good farmers that are good for the land.
High prices of commodities has brought in many that don't give a crap about the land, much less the wildlife.
Banks will lend the money, because of the Federally subsidized crop insurance.
Lot of land that had the top soil blown off during the homestead era and then again during the dust bowl are again in crops. Some might get lucky and get a crop. Most know they won't. Doesn't matter, their farming the programs. They will do better on the insurance claim.

As long as it's so easy to get the crop insurance it's bad for the land and wildlife.

Again, Most producers are good with the land and are for sure out to get crops not insurance claims.
 
i agree 100% wayne... no need to keep that wetland for wildlife if the get crop insurance $$$ each yr when it flood like every other yr... very bad all around...

you think they would look back at history & see how the soil blew away??? its bound to happen again...

out west they figured it out in like NE/KS i see a bunch of no till drilling & they dont tear up all the wind breaks but they do hate the red cedar in many areas but i have seen em leave at least a break instead of removing all the cedars just cuz... i agree with them piling them up for quail habitat thow just leave a break for the soil & wildlife...
 
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