“Interest in this open enrollment period was high, and I’m pleased that producers and landowners across the nation continue to realize the environmental benefits of enrolling land in the CRP,” said Secretary Vilsack.

For this 39th general sign-up more than 50,000 offers were received on more than 4.8 million acres, nationwide. Enrollment of the 4.3 million acres will keep the program enrollment close to the 32 million acre statutory cap, which will maintain and enhance the significant environmental benefits the program has already achieved. CRP’s 39th signup will bring the total enrollment in the program to 31.2 million acres, leaving sufficient room under the 32 million acre cap to continue enrollment in the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, continuous signup and other CRP initiatives through FY 2011.

Under CRP, farmers and ranchers plant grasses and trees in crop fields and along streams or rivers. The plantings reduce soil and nutrients from washing into waterways, reduce soil erosion that may otherwise contribute to poor air and water quality, and provide valuable habitat for wildlife. Plant cover established on the acreage accepted into the CRP will reduce nutrient and sediment runoff in our nation’s rivers and streams. The CRP has restored more than two million acres of wetlands and associated buffers and reduced soil erosion by more than 400 million tons per year.

USDA selected offers for enrollment based on an Environmental Benefits Index (EBI) comprised of five environmental factors plus cost. The five environmental factors are: (1) wildlife enhancement, (2) water quality, (3) soil erosion, (4) enduring benefits, and (5) air quality. The minimal acceptable EBI level for this signup is 200.

The average rental rate per acre for this signup is about $46. USDA implemented a number of measures including using additional EBI point incentives for producers to submit cost-effective offers, and producer outreach activities to encourage competitive offers on the most environmentally sensitive lands. These measures will maintain the high environmental benefits while decreasing the historic cost of the program.

Under CRP, there are more than 31.3 million acres enrolled on more than 473,000 contracts. These 10 to 15 year contracts provide long term enduring conservation benefits in return for an annual rental payment.

Release No. 0464.10
Contact:
Isabel Benemelis
(202) 720-7809
isabel.benemelis@wdc.usda.gov

USDA Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) provides annual rental payments and cost-share assistance to producers to place their marginal cropland in conservation and out of production.  CRP  is a voluntary program available to agricultural producers to help them safeguard environmentally sensitive land. Producers enrolled in CRP can receive payments to plant long-term, resource-conserving covers to improve the quality of water, control soil erosion, and enhance wildlife habitat.  FSA provides participants with rental payments and cost-share assistance.

Producers may enter into 10 to 15 year contracts to establish long-term covers on land to reduce soil erosion, improve water quality, and enhance wildlife habitat. In return for establishing and maintaining conservation covers, landowners receive

• annual rental payments,
• cost share assistance, not to exceed 50 percent of the eligible costs, and
• under certain conditions, incentives for enrolling land, undertaking particular practices, and performing certain maintenance practices.

Farmers can apply to re-enroll land for additional ten- or fifteen-year contracts.

Benefits

Since 1986, millions of acres of cropland have been retired into long-term grass and tree covers under the CRP.  Almost 35 million acres of cropland were enrolled as of April 2008.

CRP protects millions of acres of American topsoil from erosion and is designed to safeguard the Nation’s natural resources. By reducing water runoff and sedimentation, CRP protects groundwater and helps improve the condition of lakes, rivers, ponds, and streams. Acreage enrolled in the CRP is planted to resource-conserving vegetative covers, making the program a major contributor to increased wildlife populations in many parts of the country.

CRP protects millions of acres of American topsoil from erosion and is designed to safeguard the Nation’s natural resources. By reducing water runoff and sedimentation, CRP protects groundwater and helps improve the condition of lakes, rivers, ponds, and streams. Acreage enrolled in the CRP is planted to resource-conserving vegetative covers, making the program a major contributor to increased wildlife populations in many parts of the country.

CRP Administration

FSA administers CRP, while technical support functions are provided by:

• USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS);
• USDA’s Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service;
• State forestry agencies;
• Local soil and water conservation districts; and
• Private sector providers of technical assistance.

CRP General Sign-up

Producers can offer land for CRP general sign-up enrollment only during designated sign-up periods. For information on upcoming sign-ups, contact your local FSA office. To find your local office, visit FSA’s Web

CRP Continuous Sign-up

Environmentally desirable land devoted to certain conservation practices may be enrolled at any time under CRP continuous sign-up. Certain eligibility requirements still apply, but offers are not subject to competitive bidding. Further information on CRP continuous sign-up is available in the FSA fact sheet Conservation Reserve Program Continuous Sign-up.

Eligible Producers

To be eligible for CRP enrollment, a producer must have owned or operated the land for at least 12 months prior to close of the CRP sign-up period, unless:

• The new owner acquired the land due to the previous owner’s death;
• The ownership change occurred due to foreclosure where the owner exercised a timely right or redemption in accordance with state law; or
• The circumstances of the acquisition present adequate assurance to FSA that the new owner did not acquire the land for the purpose of placing it in CRP.

Special treatment of CRP land transitioning from a retiring farmer or rancher to a beginning or socially disadvantaged farmer or rancher includes:

• Beginning 1 year prior to contract termination date, allows a new farmer or rancher to make land improvements and begin the organic certification process.
• New farmers must develop and implement a conservation plan.
• Provide new farmer opportunity to enroll in Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and Environmental Quality Incentives Program.
• Allow them to re-enroll certain partial field conservation practices.
• Requires landowner to sell CRP land to beginning or socially disadvantaged farmer on contract termination date.
• Retiring farmer may receive up to 2 years of additional payments.

Eligible Land

Eligibility criteria for the CRP have evolved over time. Currently, to be eligible to be enrolled, land must be:

• cropland that has been planted or considered planted to an agricultural commodity or in conserving use four of the six years between 2002 through 2007, and that is physically and legally capable of being planted in a normal manner to an agricultural commodity, or
• marginal pasture land. In addition,
• cropland must have a weighted average erosion index of 8 or greater,
• be expiring CRP,
• be located in a national or state CRP conservation priority area, or
• be eligible for continuous sign-up
• alfalfa and other multi-year grasses and legumes in a rotation practice, approved by Secretary, are to be considered agricultural commodities
• clarifies that alfalfa grown in approved rotation practice is to be considered an agricultural commodity and can be used to fulfill requirement that eligible land be cropped in 4-of-6 previous years

Additional Cropland Requirements

In addition to the eligible land requirements, cropland must meet one of the following criteria:

• Have a weighted average erosion index of 8 or higher;
• Be expiring CRP acreage; or
• Be located in a national or state CRP conservation priority area.

CRP Payments

FSA provides CRP participants with annual rental payments, including certain incentive payments, and cost-share assistance:

Rental Payments

• In return for establishing long-term, resource-conserving covers, FSA provides annual rental payments to participants. FSA bases rental rates on the relative productivity of the soils within each county and the average dryland cash rent or cash-rent equivalent. The maximum CRP rental rate for each offer is calculated in advance of enrollment. Producers may offer land at that rate or offer a lower rental rate to increase the likelihood that their offer will be accepted.

Maintenance Incentive Payments

• CRP annual rental payments may include an additional amount up to $5 per acre per year as an incentive to perform certain maintenance obligations.

Cost-share Assistance

• FSA provides cost-share assistance to participants who establish approved cover on eligible cropland. The cost-share assistance can be an amount not more than 50 percent of the participants’ costs in establishing approved practices.

Other Incentives

• FSA may offer additional financial incentives of up to 20 percent of the annual payment for certain continuous sign-up practices.

Ranking CRP Offers

Offers for CRP contracts are ranked according to the Environmental Benefits Index (EBI). FSA collects data for each of the EBI factors based on the relative environmental benefits for the land offered. Each eligible offer is ranked in comparison to all other offers and selections made from that ranking. FSA uses the following EBI factors to assess the environmental benefits for the land offered:

• Wildlife habitat benefits resulting from covers on contract acreage;
• Water quality benefits from reduced erosion, runoff, and leaching;
• On-farm benefits from reduced erosion;
• Benefits that will likely endure beyond the contract period;
• Air quality benefits from reduced wind erosion; and
• Cost.

For More Information

For more information on CRP, contact your local FSA office or visit FSA’s Web site

http://www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/webapp?area=home&subject=copr&topic=crp

The report says top-quality farmland averaged more than $5,300 per acre, average land was valued at about $4,400 per acre and poor-quality land averaged $3,500 per acre.

Purdue Extension agricultural economist Craig Dobbins says land values increased sharply over the past 12 months when compared with the previous year. He says there was a downward correction last year.

The strongest gains – as high as 8 percent – were found in west central and northeast Indiana.

Higher farmland values give farmers more equity and generally make it easier for them to renew loans.

© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Professional Lake Management companies strive to utilize the lowest possible amount of chemicals necessary to meet their clients’ goals.  This translates into fewer chemicals entering our waterways and falls well within the label guidelines.  The fact that the chemicals used go through years of testing by EPA, specifically environmental impact monitoring post treatment, and these Professional Lake Management companies are licensed commercial applicators that attend annual training on the use of such chemicals, we feel further regulation of pesticide use only hurts the lake owner.  We feel if any further regulations are needed, the area of non-licensed applicators using these chemicals should be addressed.

Please take a moment to respond to this important message below. Click on the TAKE ACTION and fill in the blanks. This is in support of Federal legislation that would allow the use of FIFRA labeled products to be used WITHOUT the NPDES PERMIT requirement in most states. This is the legislative fix you may have been hearing about and support is urgently needed in Washington . The window of opportunity is very small so please repsond ASAP

This takes literally just a minute. The email will automatically be sent to your Congressmen and Senators is WA, DC

Take Action Now: S.3735/H.6087 Call to Action: NPDES Take Action! Dear Grassroots Advocate,We need your help to protect businesses and customers from increased costs and paperwork, and to ensure applicators’ ability to continue providing protection from harmful pests. Click Take Action now to contact your Senators and Representatives. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Blanche Lincoln (AR-D) and ranking Member Saxby Chambliss (GA-R) recently introduced S.3735, the FIFRA Paperwork Reduction Act. Agriculture committee Ranking Member, Frank Lucan, introduced the House version H.R. 6087. This legislation would ensure that all pesticide uses would be under the legal primacy of FIFRA and restrict EPA from creating redundant environmental regulations. The Environmental Protection Agency continues to increase regulations on the pesticide industry. EPA is finalizing its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Pesticide General Permit (PGP), with plans to implement the regulation in April, 2011. The proposed regulations will affect any applicators who apply pesticides to, near, or above water. The regulation creates an unnecessary burden to permit holders, uncertain liability to all pesticide end-users, and an unrealistic timeframe for implementation. Click Take Action now to contact your legislators

]]> http://landownernetwork.wordpress.com/2010/09/03/professional-lake-management-service-providers-need-your-help/feed/ 0 themappingnetwork http://landownernetwork.wordpress.com/2010/09/02/farm-credit-explained/ http://landownernetwork.wordpress.com/2010/09/02/farm-credit-explained/#comments Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:56:55 +0000 Moderator http://landownernetwork.wordpress.com/?p=204 ]]> Frequently Asked Questions About Farm Credit

What is Farm Credit?
The Farm Credit System is a nationwide network of cooperatively owned banks and lending cooperatives established by Congress in 1916 to provide agricultural producers and rural America with a reliable source of credit at reasonable cost.

Is Farm Credit a government entity?
No, it is a network of privately owned cooperatives.

Who owns Farm Credit lending cooperatives?
Farm Credit co-ops are owned by their borrowers, who also are co-op stockholders. The stockholders elect the board of directors who set policy and oversee management of the association. This ownership structure assures that a Farm Credit institution is accountable to its customer-stockholders, and decisions are made in the best interest of the customers.

Is Farm Credit regulated?
Yes, Farm Credit is regulated by the Farm Credit Administration, an independent federal agency, whose board members are appointed by the President of the United States. For more information, visitwww.fca.gov.

What makes Farm Credit different from other lenders?
When Farm Credit cooperatives do well, they typically share their earnings with their borrower-stockholders in the form of patronage payments or dividends. These payments can have the effect of significantly reducing a customer’s overall cost of borrowing.

Are Farm Credit interest rates competitive?
Farm Credit is extremely competitive with other lenders. That is because, as a government-sponsored enterprise, they have a competitive source of capital: their AAA-rated Farm Credit securities, which are sold in the nation’s money markets. In fact, they have the second-lowest cost of funds next to the U.S. Treasury.

Do Farm Credit loan officers have any special qualifications?
Farm Credit loan officers typically have extensive education and experience in agricultural financing, banking, business and/or mortgage lending. In most cases, they live in the community, often grew up in an agricultural or rural area, and have a good understanding of local land values. Some loan officers are also certified rural real estate appraisers.

In Pennsylvania, for example, the Game Commission and Fish and Boat Commission manage wildlife and fish. Furthermore, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) manages 117 state parks and 2.1 million acres of state forest.

Every state has similar wildlife conservation agencies, though their names and organizational structure vary. In West Virginia, the Division of Natural Resources manages fish, wildlife, state parks, and forests. In Ohio, the Division of Wildlife manages both fish and wildlife and is under the umbrella of the Department of Natural Resources.

To make matters even more confusing, a wide array of federal agencies is responsible for myriad aspects of wildlife conservation.

The primary federal wildlife agency is the Department of Interior’s Fish & Wildlife Service (www.fws.gov). FWS’ responsibilities include migratory birds, endangered species, national wildlife refuges (more than 150 million acres in more than 550 refuges), fish habitat conservation and restoration, among many other things. The FWS sets seasons and bag limits for migratory birds — ducks, geese, doves and rails — which they base on summer population surveys.

Curiously, the federal bird-banding lab is located in Interior’s U.S. Geological Survey, not the FWS. If you find a band on a wild bird, dead or alive (no pigeons), report it at www.reportband.gov.

But wildlife conservation is not limited to Interior agencies. For example, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service (www.fs.fed.us) manages the fish and wildlife on national forests and grasslands (193 million acres). The Forest Service’s mission is to restore and enhance landscapes, protect and enhance water resources, develop climate change resiliency and help create jobs that sustain communities.

USDA also houses the Natural Resources Conservation Service (www.nrcs.usda.gov) and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). The NRCS, formerly known as the Soil Conservation Service (SCS), helps private landowners conserve and improve their natural resources. It emphasizes voluntary, science-based conservation for farmers and other private landowners.

Part of APHIS’ responsibility is Wildlife Services (WS), which deals with wildlife damage complaints. If coyotes are killing sheep, geese are pooping on city ball fields, or thousands of starlings are roosting in a residential neighborhood, WS is the agency to contact (www.aphis.usda.gov/wildlife_damage). There’s a WS office in every state.

In the U.S. Department of Commerce (www.commerce.gov), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA, www.noaa.gov) provides daily weather forecasts, manages federal fisheries, restores damaged coastal areas, and supports marine commerce.

NOAA’s National Weather Service (www.nws.noaa.gov) provides weather and climate forecasts and warnings for the United States, its territories, adjacent waters and ocean areas for the protection of life and property and the enhancement of the national economy. For an instantaneous seven-day forecast, just enter your ZIP code.

NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service (www.nmfs.noaa.gov) conserves, protects, and manages living marine resources to ensure their continuation as functioning components of marine ecosystems, promote economic opportunities, and enhance the quality of life for the American public. Current information on the health of Gulf coast fish is available through Fisheries Service.

NOAA’s National Ocean Service (www.oceanservice.noaa.gov) is the nation’s premier science agency for oceans and coastlines. NOS manages America’s 95,000 miles of shoreline and 3.5 million square miles of coastal, Great Lakes, and deep-ocean waters. This vast area generates more than 60 percent of the nation’s gross national product each year.

NOAA’s Sea Grant Program (www.seagrant.noaa.gov), a nationwide network of 32 university-based programs that work with coastal communities, focuses on environmental stewardship, economic development and responsible use of America’s coastal, ocean and Great Lakes resources.

Finally, the Marine Mammal Commission (www.mmc.gov) is an independent agency created by the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. The Commission’s primary focus and duties are the protection and conservation of marine mammals (whales, dolphins, sea otters, seals, sea lions, manatees, walruses).

I’ve only scratched the surface, but you get the idea. Wildlife conservation can be a bureaucratic maze.

Written by Scott Shalaway for the Charleston Gazette

Recent research breaks down the years between four distinctly different periods:

• The farm boom period from 1970 to 1981
• The farm crisis from 1982 to 1987
• The recovery period from 1988 to 2003
• The Ethanol Boom from 2004 to 2009

During the farm boom period, an average farmer enjoyed 7.3% average cash rent return on their land and their land appreciated in value from an average of $392 per acre to $1,941 per acre or an average return of about 14.3%.  Therefore the total average return for this period was about 21.6%.

During the farm crisis, the average cash rent was actually at the highest average of about 8%, however, this was due to the decrease in land prices.  During this period, land values decreased from $1,941 per acre to about $786 per acre or an average negative return of (14%), which about wiped out the returns during the farm boom.  Overall average returns during this period was a negative (6%).

During the recovery period, average cash rents were about 7.25% and land prices increased from about $786 to $2,010 or an average increase of about 6% or a total annual return of 13.25%.

Therefore, the overall return during the 40 year period wsa about 6% from appreciation and 7% from cash rents for an overall annual return of 13%.

During the Ethanol Boom, the average cash rents was the lowest at about 4.4%, but the increase in price from $2,010 to $3,850 or 11.4% equals an average annual return of about 15.8%.

The best cash rent return was 9.6% in 1987 at the peak of the farm crisis and worst return was 2008 at 3.8% during the Ethanol Boom.  The best appreciation year was 1977 at 36.8% and the worst was 1985 at a negative 28%.

This article was contributed by Paul Neiffer, editor of  Farm CPA Today, and was based upon the research done by Iowa State University.

Landowners are constantly looking for ways to improve their properties, and it depends on the individual landowner whether the increase in value is measured in dollars or enjoyment. Building a pond is one investment that can increase both the recreational and economic value of a property.  Ponds add several benefits. They increase recreational opportunities through fishing, hunting, and swimming. Ponds promote wildlife diversity by attracting several types of waterfowl while also adding various reptiles (which can be good or bad depending on the landowner). Ponds also provide agricultural users with valuable water for crops and livestock. Ponds located near homes or cabins can help with fire suppression which can be a major benefit in some of the more rural parts of the state. And, last but not least, ponds add to the overall aesthetics of a property.

View Video Here

The Mapping Network offers pre-construction and post construction GPS mapping of lakes.  Mark fishing hot spots, isolate premium fishing depths, and discover prime habitat where trophy fish are likely hiding.  See the example below of a custom built lake with key structure points labeled.  Contact The Mapping Network (402)241-8177 of info@themappingnetwork.com for more details.

Color Shaded Depths show the special design of this trophy bass lake. Structure was marked with a GPS