Farm Bill Program for Land Manager

WRP

EQIP

CSP

CCRP

GRP & FRPP

CRP

WHIP

7 Major Farm Bill Programs Impact Wildlife Resources in Texas ~$250 Million/Yr in payments to landowners • • • • • • •

Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) $125 M Grassland Reserve Program (GRP) $10 M Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) $17.6 M Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP) $220 K Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) $80.6 M Farm & Ranchland Protection Program (FRPP) $5.6 M Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) - $7.6 M

Programs eligibility limited to individuals/entities making less than $1million/yr average adjusted gross income unless 66%+ from ag Photo by Chuck Kowaleski

FY11 Texas Conservation Funding Sources Millions

$300

252

$250 $200 $150 91

$100 $50 $0

2

2

2

17

17

NAWCA – North American Waterfowl Conservation Act; PFW – FWS Partners for Wildlife; SWG – State Wildlife Grants; PR – Pittman Robertson Act; DJ – Dingle Johnson Act; Licenses – All TPWD recreational

Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)

• CRP is the largest farm bill program in Texas, 3.3 million acres & $125 million/yr in payments • Run by Farm Service Agency (FSA) • Main purpose is to remove highly erodible or environmentally sensitive land from production • General CRP has limited signup periods, 10 yr contracts, county acreage caps & nation wide environmental benefits ranking competition Photo courtesy of USDA NRCS.

Continuous CRP Conservation Program Year round signup – No competition 10-15 year contracts Midcontract management required

• Wetlands Habitat Buffer • Farmable Wetlands • Riparian Buffers & Bottomland Timber on Wetlands (get 20% SRR bonus) • Buffer & Filter Strips

• Cross Wind Trap Strips • Shelterbelts • Grass Waterways • Field Borders • Mottled Duck/Ocelot & • Pollinator Habitat Photos courtesy of USDA NRCS.

CP-33 Habitat Buffers for Upland Birds • Allows 30-120’ native grass/forb/shrub buffer around cropland • Pays Signup Incentive Payment of $150/acre • 50% cost share for eligible practices • Additional 40% after practices are installed • Up to 10 yrs of annual rental payments • Periodic management required • New emphasis on pollinator habitat Photo courtesy of USDA NRCS.

CP 38 Rio Grand Thornscrub Restoration • Restore 2,000 (originally 5,000)

acres of thorn scrub/native grass corridors for ocelot • Worth $1.5 M (originally $4 M)

CP 38 Mottled Ducks/Attwater’s PC • Restore 500

(originally 14,400)

acres of native prairie & shallow water habitats in Gulf Coast Prairie

• Worth $665,000 (originally $15.3 M)

Photo courtesy of USDA NRCS.

Photo by Chuck Kowaleski.

Farm & Ranch Land Protection Program (FRPP)

Photo by Chuck Kowaleski.

Wetland Reserve Program (WRP) • • • •

Run by NRCS, $17.6 M spent in FY12 Purpose to restore or enhance degraded wetlands Retain access control & recreational use of land Restoration cost-share agreements – 10 years contracts paying 75% of restoration cost • 30 year and permanent easements – 75% or 100% of restoration cost and land value

Photo courtesy of USDA NRCS.

Photo by Chuck Kowaleski

• Run by NRCS, $219,860 spent in FY12 • 50%+ cost share • Helps landowners or managers develop and improve essential plant and animal habitat • Open to landowners who are not ag producers • FY12 funding went to national initiatives - LPC Photo by Chuck Kowaleski

Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP)

• Run by NRCS, $80.5 M spent in FY12 • Purpose is to reduce serious threats to soil, water & related natural resources • 60% targeted at livestock production • Generally 50% cost share • State & local resource concerns addressed Photo courtesy of USDA NRCS.

New Wildlife Friendly EQIP/WHIP Practices

Photo by Chuck Kowaleski

Cost shares $68-77/acre for: • Planting diverse native mix of pollinator friendly flower annuals & perennials • FSA also has a CCRP Pollinator practice for cropland – $150/acre SIP, 50% CS, 40% PIP plus annual rental payments

Photo by Chuck Kowaleski

Likely 2012 Farm Bill Changes to EQIP and WHIP

Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) • • • •

Run by NRCS, $7.5 M spent in TX in FY12 Rewards good land stewardship Requires cropping history Must meet stewardship threshold on identified resource concern and achieve threshold on second concern by end of 5 year contract • Payments cover planning, installing, improving and maintaining conservation activities.

• Payments capped at $40K/yr, $200K for contract Photo courtesy of USDA NRCS.

Endangered Species Tax Deduction • Introduced in the 2008 Farm Bill • Expenditures up to 25% of AGI can be deducted from farming/ranching operations if conservation actions undertaken are found in an approved T&E recovery plan.

• Federally threatened or endangered species county listing is available at: http:// ecos.fws.gov/tess_public/

Questions?

Don’t Be Shy!

FWS T&E county listing

http://ecos.fws.gov/tess_public/

USDA office locator http://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app Photo by Chuck Kowaleski