Not good news for CRP

I don't know what happen in Kansas General Signup. I elected to put my acres that expired two years ago and some new acres in through the continuous CRP program. Finished planting new CRP grass late tonight. I am always excited to do something for the critters.
 
This is not all that surprising and maybe not all that bad. CRP needs reform. More signups in the continuous programs is better than the general.

IMO the General acres have shown to be not too productive over time and are not a good use of federal taxpayer monies.

CRP needs to parallel the precision of ag production in targeting the highest priority projects and acres. Precision Ag and Precision Conservation.

We all knew that the cap in the farmbill existed and enrollments nationwide are close to that cap.

The CCRP programs continue to be highly functional.
 
Agree with UGUIDE. The landscape is changing to the point where conservation programs are going to be successful long term when they target & address specific environmental & water quality impacts while still allowing for healthy & sustainable Ag production.

"Conservation" programs that are really just implemented to address the artificial boom & bust cycles in the Ag markets are never going get us where we need to go in the long run. The large block general sign up programs IMO fit this bill and while they provided a nice run of pheasant production the boom was short lived and the dollars spent never effectively addressed many of the root cause issues that are a by product of current farm practices.

Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) is airing a very well done look at water quality issues in MN this month. Part of that report focuses on the role of Ag production in falling water quality problems in MN.
 
Downtown Bang! said:
Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) is airing a very well done look at water quality issues in MN this month. Part of that report focuses on the role of Ag production in falling water quality problems in MN.
Click to expand...

This are changing and reform is happening. Largely because water quality is going south! Dayton was smart to change the buffers bill from pheasants to water quality.

The battle is just underway in Iowa.

Over production leads to low prices AND poor water. I don't think feeding the world is important if we cannot drink are own water or we go broke trying to clean it up. The producer associations need to figure out a way to control production to control supply and demand instead of Cargill. Conservation is one of the keys.
 
A year ago a group of producers formed the South Dakota Soil Health coalition. We are trying to encourage practices that improve the soil health. Healthy soil will have improved water infiltration. Nutrients get into the water when water runs off the land instead of soaking in. Erosion control and water quality begin at the top of the hill, buffer strips are a late attempt cover for the failure to keep water where it falls. Among the tools that can be used to improve soil health are grasses, cover crops and no till farming. All of these are good for wildlife, clean up the water and reduce carbon in the atmosphere.
 
back to farm today to try and get rest of food plots in. Got corn done. Gonna let the good ole SD wind and warm dry a couple more plots out.

Lots of tillage equipment working the fields in "no till" country today.

MN is pretty much all black before it turns green.

Looks like the bee keepers are piling on the boxes next to my ground:rolleyes:
 
I just got turned down on re-enrolling in the General Signup. Even though I added the extra plantings of insect producing flowers. Going to apply for Continuous-CRP.

Here's the ONLY solution to this unreliable CRP mess we have:

We the People(OUR Federal Government) should buy 60 million acres and plant it to grass within the boarders of "PHEASANT LAND". This would cost about $200 billion - what a bargain! We spent 6 times that on Iraq! Do any good? We'll probably spend another $trillion chasing down ISIS only to spawn another enemy that is MUCH worse.

My general description of PHEASANT LAND:

Going clockwise to define the borders:

Havre, MT
Williston, ND
Fargo. ND
Albert Lea, MN
Des Moines, IA
Wichita, KS
Amarillo, TX
Sterling, CO
And back up to Havre, MT

If this area had 60 million acres of good CRP type grass we would all be transported back to October 1944.

The goal for average annual harvests:

SD - 3 million +
ND - 1.5 million +
NE - 1.5 million +
KS - 1.5 million +
MT- 400k +
MN - 400k+
IA - 1 million +
The "fringe" states of WY, CO, TX, OK(combined) - 500k+

Except for the efforts of a few extraordinary, forward thinking individuals, Yellowstone National Park would be high-rise hotels, condos, casino's, tourist traps, Wal-Marts and every other commercial exploitation imaginable.

There needs to be a MUCH BETTER balancing act between Agriculture and Conservation. We're WAY, WAY out of whack right now.
 
you have to admit, obama's conservation plan is closing coal fired plants and reducing meat consumption, to stop the deadly cow farts....that methane is causing climate change! :eek:...........of course, fewer hunters means fewer guns, win, win for liberals.
 
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