Wildlife Agency Can Help Farmers Qualify For Conservation Program

Farmers and wildlife can benefit from advice the Washington Fish and Wildlife Department has compiled to help landowners qualify for the federal Conservation Reserve Program.

CRP, which pays farmers to take land out of crop production and plant permanent cover, has been documented as a boon to wildlife species ranging from songbirds and salmon to mule deer.

Unlike farm subsidy programs of the past, which were aimed at providing farm income, controlling crop production and reducing soil erosion, the CRP has shifted to providing stronger conservation benefits, said Margaret Ainscough, department spokeswoman.

In order to qualify for the program, farmers must apply with a proposed plan. If the plan is accepted, the program pays farmers roughly $40 an acre per year to plant cropland with permanent cover and leave it idle. Acceptance is based on points given for plans that improve water and air quality, reduce soil erosion and increase wildlife habitat.

By not tilling their lands, farmers in Adams County can improve air quality in Spokane while providing habitat for a variety of wildlife species.

Some farmers did not qualify for the first round of enrollments this spring because they didn’t fine-tune their plans to meet the new criteria.

Washington farmers recently were allotted only 21 percent of the acreage they submitted for CRP funding, one of the lowest acceptance rates in the nation, Ainscough said.

To be more competitive in their applications for fall enrollment, farmers should scrutinize the per-acre amount they request for land enrolled in the program, suggested Dave Ware, department upland game manager. In addition, they should give more attention to the type of cover they intend to plant.

“Where we can help is by improving vegetation for wildlife and by bidding the more environmentally sensitive areas into the program,” Ware said. “We can provide technical expertise and seek additional funding to help farmers pay the increased costs of planting vegetation most beneficial to wildlife.

“By working with farmers now, we hope to find ways to establish and maintain vegetation that helps more wildlife.”

Several troubled state species, including salmon, steelhead, bull trout, pygmy rabbits, sage grouse and sharptail grouse, could benefit from habitat created on CRP acreage.

Washington farmers currently have about 1 million acres enrolled in the federal program, but 785,000 are due to expire this year. Ainscough said.

“Farmers applied to enroll 819,378 acres for another 10 years, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture accepted only 172,013 acres,” she said. “That means almost 613,000 acres could revert to crop production or livestock grazing, unless some of the rejected acres are accepted during a second 1997 CRP sign-up this fall.”

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MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: WHO QUALIFIES? Farmers in this region can get local technical advice on qualifying for the federal Conservation Reserve Program by calling the following Washington Fish and Wildlife Department habitat specialists: * Mark Grabski in St. John, (509) 527-4418. * Gretchen Steele in Ephrata, (509) 754-4624. * Ted Johnson in Walla Walla, (509) 527-4418.