ND Dakota CRP contracts very sad

[bigeyes]

Just thought I would post this...I have a few acres of land in East central North Dakota. Like so much of North Dakotas CRP my 15 year CRP contracts have been expiring in 2011 and 2012. I just talked to our FSA lady and she told me the "good news" that my stuff could be reenrolled for another 10 years and that the rate would increase from the $31 per acre they gave me in 1998 to $33 for each of the next 10 years. Meanwhile I have standing offers from the farmer next door to rent it at $60 which I am told is pretty average rents for the area.

I would like to leave the land for the ducks and pheasants, but nobody in their right mind can accept that type of discount. It gets worse, as the new contracts all require discing of 50% of the property in year 5 and the other 50% in year 6. If you add in the cost of the additional work and inflation since 1998 the new contracts feel like they are paying you a lot less real dollars than they did in 1998 and that is not is not even considering that land values are probably 5-10 times what they were in 1998. Very frustrating!

 

[oldandnew]

Which is why the future of all bird hunting in the United States is doomed, at least in the short run. How can any of us blame you, it's a completely one sided equation. Maybe someday you'll be in a position to just leave it for the ducks and pheasants, in the short run see if they will let you enroll some of the wet stuff and marginal stuff in CREP, it pays better and it might be more profitable to both you and the tenant farmer to omit it from rental and production, if CREP is available in your county. Good luck, and God Bless.:cheers:

 

[mnmthunting]

No question the government contracts for renewing CRP land are not meant to benefit wildlife. You put your land into CRP and get a booklet of regulations that make no sense where wildlife is concerned.
If you can leave the FSA out, make bird habitat on your own, some for the birds some for cash rent. Tell the renter if he plants corn, combines it, keeping the tilling equipment out of the field until Spring. Could be a good thing for you and the birds.:thumbsup:

 

[1GB]

If you can leave the FSA out, make bird habitat on your own, some for the birds some for cash rent. Tell the renter if he plants corn, combines it, keeping the tilling equipment out of the field until Spring. Could be a good thing for you and the birds.:thumbsup:

That was my thought as well. It all doesn't have to be "all one or all the other". Keeping a mix of cash rent area and leaving some of the most effective habitat seems like the best compromise.