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MSWCD Supplement lu (hc H rppner l . i / d ^ l l m n , January 17, IWOdhtgc 3
CRP program targets fragile farmland
The
CONSF.R V ATION
RESERVE
PROGRAM
was
authorized by the Food Security Act
of 1985. It targets the most fragile
farmland by encouraging farmers to
stop growing crops on cropland
designates! by soil conservationists as
"highly erodible" and plant it in
grass or trees In return, the farmer
receives an annual rental payment
for the term of the ten-year contract
Cost shares are also available to help
establish the permanent planting of
grass, legumes, trees, windbreaks,
or wildlife plantings
The
C O N SER V A TIO N
RESERVE PROGRAM or CRP lists
a large number of benefits
1 Soil erosion reduction onsite
and less sedimentation offsite
Reducing soil erosion onsite saves
money for the producer by ensuring
sustained productivity Offsite
benefits arc reduced costs of clean
ing up streams and rivers clogged by
sediments, herbicides, arvi fertilizers
from cropland, improving water
quality.
2 C rop surplus reduction,
therefore reducing cost of commodi
ty programs.
3 A guaranteed income for
l(>-ycars and one-half the cost of
establishing valuable, permanent
stands of grass and/or trees on cligi
blc acres, improving air quality and
enhancing the esthetic value of
cropland
4 Increased wildlife habitat and
an opportunity for added income for
landowners and operators through
hunting, fishing, and other rccrea
tional activities
Nationwide, up to 45 million acres
mas he retired and Morrow County
has a limit of I lO.Otkf acres which
is 25H of the total cropland To
date, farmers and landowners in
Morrow County have enrolled
m s Ol.’ t e n s
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wMeh
I I I * 4I«|
acres have been sees led to permanent
grasses and legumes The 338 con
tracts range from 2 8 acres to
1,912.2 acres and average <19 acres
at an average
rent of *48 44
per acre for a total rental income of
•5.232.440 (8) for the County
The operator must manage the
grass stand during the length of the
contract, 10-years, and no grazing or
haying is allowed at this time, but
Morrow County CRP
1
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T h e shaded areas of this photo shows all the C R P in
M orrow C ounty
could change due to drought or
natural disaster All noxious weeds
on the County weed " A " list must
be controlled at the operator's ex
pensc Cost shares arc available for
weed control within one year of
planting if deemed necessary for the
establishment of the grass stand
T his control can be eith er
mechanical dipping or chemical
spraying and must be on the advice
of a licensed consultant or the
Oregon State University Extension
Service
Grass seed recommendations were
made by USDA Soil Conservation
Service and are based on "The In
teragency Seeding Guide for
Oregon " This guide takes into con
sideration such factors as soil pH
and, most importantly, annual
precipitation zones In Morrow
County. this ranges from 7-inches in
the northern part to 18 inches in the
south end Crested and Siberian
wheatgrasses arc used in the lower
precipitation areas along with Covar
Sheep Fescue and Sherm an
Higbluegrass, Whitmar beardless
Bluehunch. Secar Rluebunch. and
other native grasses when available
As the precipitation increases, more
plantings
of
Interm ediate
wheatgrasses. such as Greenar.
Greenleaf, and Oahe. are used for
their rhizomonous characteristics
Luna Pubescent wheat grass is also
a very popular variety, and at
high rainfall areas. Paiute Orchar
dgrass was planted In addition, the
Oregon Fish and Wildlife Depart
merit furnished one pound of dryland
alfalfa seed per acre at no cost to the
farmer Rambler and I udak were the
most used alfalfa variety fhe use of
legumes was to encourage big game
habitat as well as for the nitrogen
fixing property
The seeding of the CRP ground
was closely monitored by SCS per
sonncl to assure accurate seeding
depth, rates, and weed control to
enhance grass stand establishment
Seed was carefully analyzed to in
sure quality and much of this was by
Oregon State University Seed
laboratory
Methods of seeding ranged from
broadcast seeding to the use of no-
till drills to aerial seeding Perhaps
the best stands of grasses were
established using regular grain drills
and were seeded into summer fallow
in the springtime thereby eliminating
most cheatgrass and using the
available moisture as is done with
planting a grain crop
Individual reasons for enrolling
acreage into the Conservation
9
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Reserve Program varied from farm
to farm but economics was prohably
the most important with erosion con
trol a distant second Many absentee
landowners found the CRP program
to their liking as they had less costs
and many contracts were written
whereby the operator would receive
2 3rds of the annual rental payment
the first four or five years and the
landowner 2 'rds for the remainder
of the contract Many farmers were
reaching retirement age and had no
heirs or family members interested
in farming the ground Some
farmers were pressured by lending
institutions to place eligible land in
CRP to reduce operating costs and
others put in fields that were isolated
or loo small
Many local businesses feared a
loss of business due to the retirement
o f m achinery, sm aller grain
harvests, and fewer fami employees,
and, to a small extent, this has hap
pened Since most of the cropland
that was retired was the poorest of
soils, average crop yields are higher
and farmers arc managing the re
maining acres and increasing yields
through wiser use of chemicals, fer
tiliz e rs , and reduced tillage
operations
The one ami one half million tons
of soil saved yearly in Morrow
County will surely outweigh all the
negative aspects the Conservation
Reserve Program may have instill
ed in the non farming community
V a n A r sd a lo C o n st • Co.
STOCK
PONDS
SILT
DAMS
ROCKING
Call us 24 hour service for
total engine repair
Days - 422-7432
Commercial Accounts
Mark Tullis
Nights - 422-7114
Delivery A Pick Up Senice
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2 D 8s with R ip p er
2 D 6s
2 G ra d ers
2-621 C arryall (scrap er)
5 D u m p Trucks
9 6 6 Front E nd Loader
Shop: 676-50 83
Office: 989-8549
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