Pheasants Forever Biologists to Conduct CRP Workshops

Pheasants Forever workshops to assist landowners in CRP enrollment

The Farm Service Agency will administer a Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) general sign-up May 20, 2013 through June 14, 2013. To get the word out about this sign-up period and to assist landowners in signing up, Kansas Pheasants Forever biologists will conduct a series of workshops across the state.

The workshops will be set up to answer any questions landowners have about CRP, as well as provide attendees with information on how they can improve their chances of getting accepted through the use of practices beneficial to wildlife. Several of the workshop locations are accepting walk-in customers and appointments to provide one-on-one, site-specific consultations. To find a Pheasants Forever CRP workshop near you, see the list below.

Landowners enrolled in the CRP program receive annual rental payments and cost-share assistance to establish long-term, resource-conserving covers on eligible farmland. Land that is not currently enrolled in CRP can be offered during sign-up if all eligibility requirements are met. Contracts awarded during this general sign-up will become effective October 1, 2013.

The CRP program was first included in the 1985 Farm Bill to reduce soil erosion by taking land out of production and establishing permanent cover. At the time, it was estimated that topsoil was being lost at a rate of 3 billion tons per year due to erosion. Today’s CRP program has evolved to address issues of water quality, as well as wildlife habitat. In Kansas, CRP has reduced erosion, improved water and air quality, and provided more than 2 million acres of native grass habitat critical to prairie wildlife, including the lesser-prairie chicken.

Abilene	USDA Service Center	May 6	2 p.m.
Atwood	Rawlins Co. USDA ServiceCenter	May 21	9 a.m.–4 p.m.
Belleville	USDA Service Center	May 27	9 a.m.–4 p.m.
Belleville	USDA Service Center	May 28	9 a.m.–4 p.m.
Beloit	USDA Service Center	May 20	8 a.m.–5 p.m.
Beloit	USDA Service Center	May 21	8 a.m.–5 p.m.
Burlington	Fairgrounds - Kelly Hall	May 17	10 a.m.
Clay Center	Fairgrounds 4-H Building	May 9	2 p.m.
Colby	Meadow Lake Golf Course	May 15	6:30 p.m.
Concordia	USDA Service Center	May 22	9 a.m.–4 p.m.
Concordia	USDA Service Center	May 23	9 a.m.–4 p.m.
Dighton	Lane County Courthouse	May 9	1 p.m.
Elkhart	Morton County NRCS/FSA	May 7	8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Frankfort	Frankfort Reg. Edu. Center	May 16	7 p.m.
Garden City	Finney Co. Fairgrounds	May 13	12 p.m.
Goodland	Sherman Co. USDA ServiceCenter	May 13	9 a.m. MST/10 a.m. CST
Great Bend	Kansas Wetlands EducationCenter	May 14	9:30 a.m.
Hiawatha	Klinefelter Farm	May 15	6:00 p.m.
Holton	USDA Service Center	May 16	8 a.m.
Hoxie	Midwest Energy Community Room	May 14	8 a.m. CST
Hugoton	Stevens County NRCS/FSA	May 14	8 a.m.–2 p.m., 4 p.m.–5 p.m.
Hugoton	Stevens County Fair Office	May 14	2:30 p.m.
Hugoton	Stevens County Fair Office	May 14	6 p.m.
Hutchinson	Hutchinson Public Library	May 9	2:30 p.m.
Jetmore	USDA Service Center	May 15	8 a.m.
Johnson	Stanton County NRCS/FSA	May 8	7:30 a.m.– 4:30 p.m.
Lakin	Kearny County FSA/NRCS	May 17	7 a.m.– 1 p.m.
Liberal	Seward County NRCS/FSA	May 16	8am - 5pm
Liberal	Seward County Activity	May 16	6:00 p.m.
Mankato	Mankato USDA ServiceCenter	May 29	9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Mankato	Mankato USDA ServiceCenter	May 30	9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Marion	Marion City BuildingBasement	May 8	1:00 p.m.
Ness City	USDA Service Center	May 17	8:00 a.m.
Norton	Norton County USDAService Center	May 24	8 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Oberlin	Decatur County USDAService Center	May 20	8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Saint John	Stafford County Annex	May 13	9 p.m.
Seneca	Seneca Free Library	May 14	6 p.m.
St. Francis	Cheyenne County USDAService Center	May 22	9 a.m.-4 p.m.
Sublette	Haskell County NRCS/FSA	May 9	11 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Ulysses	Grant County NRCS/FSA	May 9	9:00 a.m.
Ulysses	Grant County NRCS/FSA	May 15	8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Ulysses	Grant County 4-H Building	May 15	6:30 p.m.
Washington	1st National Bank	May 14	9:30 a.m.
Winfield	Cowley County USDAService Center	May 23	9:00 a.m.
Winfield	Cowley County USDAService Center	May 28	9:00 a.m.
YatesCenter	County Fairgrounds - Bressner Hall	May 17	2:00 p.m.