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Nebraska USDA Farm Service Agency executive director, John Berge, recently announced the opening of applications for a special Conservation Reserve Program initiative designed to increase habitat for upland wildlife.

The Upland Wildlife State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement CRP aims to create more acres for wildlife such as greater prairie chickens, northern bobwhite, plains sharp-tailed grouse, ring-neck pheasants, songbirds and pollinators. It also is designed to improve water quality and soil health and reduce soil erosion and sequester carbon.

Through SAFE, entities partner with USDA’s FSA and Natural Resources Conservation Service on CRP projects to enhance habitat for target wildlife species. The Upland Wildlife SAFE is a joint project by FSA, NRCS, Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and Pheasants Forever of Nebraska. The proposal was approved in September.

“We are excited about the opportunity to offer landowners CRP rental payments through this program in return for conservation practices that have such a broad impact. Not only is this initiative great for wildlife habitat, the practices to be used are excellent for overall soil health and water quality,” said Berge.

Landowners must offer tracts with a minimum of five acres. There is no maximum number of acres per tract. Cropland must have been planted or considered planted to an agricultural commodity four of the six crop years from 2012 to 2017 or meet a rotation between 2006 through 2017. Landowners with expired or expiring CRP can offer acres for re-enrollment.

There are 69 Nebraska counties included in the project area: Antelope, Banner, Boone, Box Butte, Boyd, Buffalo, Burt, Butler, Cass, Cedar, Chase, Cheyenne, Colfax, Cuming, Custer, Dakota, Dawes, Dawson, Deuel, Dixon, Dodge, Dundy, Franklin, Frontier, Furnas, Gage, Garden, Garfield, Gosper, Greeley, Harlan, Hayes, Hitchcock, Holt, Howard, Jefferson, Johnson, Keith, Kimball, Knox, Lancaster, Lincoln, Madison, Morrill, Nance, Nemaha, Nuckolls, Otoe, Pawnee, Perkins, Pierce, Platte, Red Willow, Richardson, Saline, Saunders, Scotts Bluff, Seward, Sheridan, Sherman, Sioux, Stanton, Thayer, Thurston, Valley, Washington, Wayne, Webster, and Wheeler.

There may be signing incentive and practice incentive payments available, as well as additional incentives available through project partners, such as the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

To learn more about the Upland Wildlife SAFE, view the fact sheet on the Nebraska FSA website, visit crpsignup.com or contact your nearest USDA service center.