# CRP



## aupeters (Jun 29, 2004)

I have around 250 or so acres of land that as of right now is farm land. I want to take the land and put it into crp and food plots, or something like a praririe grassland restoration, and mabye plant some trees and due a riparian buffer. I want to help out the wildlife by making a better habitat. I am wondering if anyone has any experience doing this and what they suggest. I was going to contact the state and see what type of things I could do with the land? Any info would be great.


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## Bob Kellam (Apr 8, 2004)

Contact your local ASCS office or get in contact with the ND Ag, dept they will get you started or at least pointed in the right direction.

Thank You for preserving/creating some habitat.

Bob


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## aupeters (Jun 29, 2004)

Thanks Bob, friend of mine also told me to contact ASCS office. I could have close to 500 or so acres of land that i turn into a wildlife restoration project. I just want to give something back to the environment and guarantee myself and my kids that we will have a place to hunt in the future. Personally I'm afraid that North Dakota is gonna get posted up so tight and almost turn into commercial hunting in the future where every has to pay to hunt. Does anyone else think that the hunting in eastern Nd is gonna end up like this, and end up like this very soon.


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## buckseye (Dec 8, 2003)

I agree with you aupeters, we have a new very aggresive generation that is always wanting more. I believe it has to do with hunting being portrayed and taken literally as a sport, sportsminded people will never be happy until they win so to speak. Unfortunately a win means full limits everytime or make some new rules so they can win everytime. Pretty disgusting really.


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## aupeters (Jun 29, 2004)

That's exactly how I feel Buckseye. I just think more has to be done individually to protect the integrity of wildlife. I hope to get a few of my friends more involved with planting habitat for wildlife.


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## hoagie (Jan 12, 2005)

aupeters,

Another option is the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Contact your local USFWS office and talk to the Private Lands Biologist. He maybe able to help you out in other ways including native grass seedings, wetland creations or restorations or some fencing material. Where are you located? I can stear you in the right direction.

The state also has some programs along with the NRCS.

pm if you like.


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## aupeters (Jun 29, 2004)

I'm located out in Northwood, ND. Eastern Part of the state. The land that I am looking at doing this too is up by Hamilton, ND. It's all farmland, not a lot of other land formations. not a lot of trees. I am looking into planting a lot of trees and maybe doing some wetland projects. The land as of right now is in my grandma's name and is rented out to a farmer, but in a year or 2 it will become my dads, which him and me are planning on turning the farmland into a wildlife restoration project. Has anyone had any eexperience turning a lot of farmland into a wildlife habitat, such as riparian buffers, wetlands ect. any info would be great.


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## pheasantslayer (May 13, 2004)

I like to hear what you are wanting to do. It is people like you who will always give wildlife a place to be. However, if you are trying to get your farmland into CRP with gov't payments, it may be a little bit more difficult. North Dakota isn't a priority area for signing up acres anymore and many current CRP acres won't be accepted in a few years. It seems like the only way the gov't will take CRP is if you are in a watershed area or have some extremely salty grounds that need restoration. If you have productive farmland, the chances of you getting in a contract are slim. This is only in my area, perhaps your area is taking more acres. If you are going to put in grasses with money out of your own pocket then more power to you. I have hunted some extremely productive land where there are food plots in the CRP. One way to get results faster is to put in some crop seed with the grasses. That way they will come up the first year and hopefully the grasses will fill in the following. Just my .02.


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## aupeters (Jun 29, 2004)

I have done a little research and found out exactly what you just said pheasantslayer. That the funding isnt there anymore for crp. I have though about just planting prarire grass and trees and ect on about 60 or acres a year until i reach the amount of land that I want to have wildlife restoration project on. I think this way I wouldn't empty my check book all at one time, and it would be a lot more interesting to see the development take shape every year and the changes that the environment and habitat will see.


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## gandergrinder (Mar 10, 2002)

My hat is off to you for this. I wish you the best in your project. The world needs more people like you doing these types of projects.

I would talk to someone at the USFWS and see if they can help you with a grass or wetland easement. They pay nearly full market value per acre for these projects if you qualify and you retain all the rights except you can't drain anything and you can't hay the ground before a certain date. A pretty good program in my mind.

Good luck.


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## aupeters (Jun 29, 2004)

Hey guys thanks for all the helpful information. You guys are the best. 
It's great that a guy can post a question at 9 a.m. and by supper time I already have a lot of feedback, and feedback that is informative and will help me out a lot. Thanks everyone for a making this a great website.


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## Habitat Hugger (Jan 19, 2005)

Aupeters - good for you!!! I'm a little pleasantly surprised with the posts supporting your intention of putting this land back into wildlife habitat! On another earlier thread I had described what a group of us had been doing over the past 25 years and had nothing but criticism about taking the land out of production, making it off limits to the rest of the hunting community, etc. Only one supportive post, from a fellow in Iowa! Some were even suggesting a new (and I'm sure, HIGH) tax, presumably to discourage this sort of thing, or maybe simply to "teach these rich guys a lesson" as they drive to the lakes with their $20,000 boats pulled with $35,000 vehicles! Ha! So expect some of this, but don't let them get you down. I was even accused once of having ulterior motives and of being a guide! Wow! So after this post I'm going to keep my mouth shut and will private e-mail you for fear of being attacked again. I don't have the time or inclination to get in a pissing contest, ever, again! Too busy building and putting up more wood duck boxes, hen houses and bluebird nests, especially this late in the spring.
None of our group by the way, are rich, but we are all hard working, fairly frugal (read that cheap!) and put our "discretionary income" into what we consder important. Anybody can do it but only if your budget is adjusted accordingly. Nickles and dimes over the years add up. Last year for example we put out a pile of money from our own pockets into long grass, wildflower and legume habitat. (hope it rains or that money will be down the tube!) and this year we have 300 (more) cedars arriving that we will hand plant ourselves! Expect lots and lots and lots of sweat equity as well as financial outlay!
As I mentioned, I and others have been doing this for about 25 years. Forget CRP - even if it were possible to enrole, there are too many strings and expenses attatched to make it feasable, despite people continually posting that "rich city people" buy up land, put it in CRP and sit back waiting for the money to roll in. And wait..and wait...and wait...And forget EVER making any money from agricultural programs, even though there are many out there that will help you. You will never even break even, possibly on a rare year maybe get equivalent to your taxes back. Anyone who says you can make a buck or even come close to breaking even with agricultural programs has obviously NEVER looked into it. 
Whoever said "a boat is a hole in the water into which you pour copious amounts of money" never had land he tried to return into good habitat!!
Anyway, after all this doom and gloom I'm painting you, the payback in other ways is tremendous. In pure economic terms, your land will appreciate in value, but only if you sell it, presumably someday way in the future when you are too old and feeble to hunt. (be prepared to pay capital gains taxes) 
But, you will have a place you can do your own thing, a place to hunt and camp and wander around with your family, a place to hunt so you won't have to "hunt for a place to hunt" and a truckload of personal satisfaction that you left this world a bit better than when you entered it. And the satisfaction of watching things develop slowly, year after year. I read someplace recently,"Habitat is like baseball fields - if you build it they will come!" And maybe pass it on to your kids and have them learn the value of conservation.
There are more and more people doing this very same thing. One of these days I'm going to write a small brochure or essay outlining help sources, suggestions, and send it out or e-mail the info to anyone interested in this type of thing. After 25 years of this we are still learning. Also, programs and help sources change each year, sometimes monthly. Programs come and go, and often change. Maybe we could all band together and swap ideas. Anyway, I'll private E-mail you with a bunch of ideas. If I stay on this post I'll have to put on my hard hat and duck! (not the avian kind, either!) Good luck.


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## Habitat Hugger (Jan 19, 2005)

I should have pointed out that "making" habitat is a long long slow slow process. It's like eating an elephant. You have to do it a little at a time!


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## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

a, another two resources would be Pheasants Forever and also Nat Humphery who is Tom Jones NDGF replacement as habitat aquisition. Nat works out of the Jamestown NDGF office. PF has a chapter in Fargo with some real go-getters. They also have techs and seeding equipment.


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## tmorrie (Apr 1, 2002)

Dick, I hadn't heard that Tom Jones left his position as a private lands biologist for the PLOTS program, as he was a really good resource for habitat projects. Is he still with NDGF?


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## Dick Monson (Aug 12, 2002)

Tom is with USDA now I believe. Switched to the enemy camp.


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## tsodak (Sep 7, 2002)

Dick, I resemble that remark!!!!!

I am keeping an eye on you Mr. Monson, if an eagle ditcher shows up in your yard I will surely pay you a visit.

Tim, I started the 7th of March as the Area Biologist/Resource Conservationist in the Area office for NRCS here in Jamestown. Not going to be the same, but I felt I could make a bigger impact ion the overall resource in this position.

Nathanial Umphrey is now the PLI biologist in Jamestown, and he is good people. He will take good care of you guys and keep PLOTS rolling here in the SE, or else I will kick him where he sits. hehehehe


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## always_outdoors (Dec 17, 2002)

aupeters:

Everyone here is giving alot of great advice. You will need to visit with the FSA office in Cavalier since the land is in Pembina County. I would then visit with the NRCS/SCD office as they are the ones that have the programs such as the tree plantings and grasslands re-seeding. In some cases, they can cover 90-95% of the tree plantings costs if you qualify for their programs.

If there were wetlands there at one time and were drained, US Fish and Wildlife (federal govt) may have some funds to restore them. Also check with Delta Waterfowl, Ducks Unlimited, or ND Wetlands Trust. The feds will probably require an easement contract, but that can be a good thing as this will make sure that nothing is changed or destoyed by any other landowner years down the line.

ND Game and Fish (state govt) does offer some food plot options, but only pay in some areas. They also do not allow you to post the land if you do an easement with them.

Pheasants Forever or the NWTF (Cavalier has a chapter there I think) may also have some funds for you.

These things do take time as a few posts said. Especially if you decide to plant native prairie. In time, I think the rewards for doing something like this will come back to you 20X over.

Glad to see some great conservationists out there! Good luck with the project.


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## Roughrider (Apr 12, 2005)

aupeters,
How is this project of yours taking shape? I haven't heard of anyone with land in the RR valley doing such a project. Here is a deal for you, I'll trade 500 acres of our poor slough bottom land for your 250 acres of good sugar beet land by Hamilton then you won't have to do as much work. lol..


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