Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever, along with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, the Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Farm Service Agency, will host 56 Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) general sign-up informational meetings for landowners during the upcoming sign-up period. The CRP general sign-up will be held Dec. 1, 2015 through Feb. 26, 2016.
CRP remains the gold standard program for creating upland habitat for pheasants, quail and other wildlife in Nebraska. In addition to wildlife habitat, CRP provides landowners with many benefits. “CRP continues to evolve. With competitive rental rates, the ability to enroll partial fields and haying and grazing options for management, landowners will want to attend a local meeting and learn how voluntary conservation programs can work to increase farm and ranch income,” says Kelsi Wehrman, Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever’s state coordinator in Nebraska. Landowners are encouraged to RSVP for an event by contacting their local USDA Service Center or their local Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever Farm Bill wildlife biologist.
CRP general sign-up information meetings will focus on eligibility and the CRP sign-up process, as well as updates to CRP mid-contract management. Presentations will also cover various CRP practices, updated rental rates, and public access / additional incentive opportunities.
CRP Informational Meetings by County
| County | Date | Time | Location/Address |
| Antelope | 1/14 | 7 p.m – 9 p.m. CST | UNL Extension Service (501 Main St., Suite 98) in Neligh |
| Boone | 1/5 | 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. CST | Cornerstone Bank (240 S 3rd St.) in Albion |
| Box Butte | 1/7 | 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. MST | Alliance Public Library (1750 Sweetwater Ave.) in Alliance |
| Buffalo | 1/19 | 12 p.m. – 2 p.m. CST | Community Building (301 Alba Ave.) in Ravenna |
| Buffalo | 1/21 | 12 p.m. – 2 p.m. CST | Community Building (110 N Main St.) in Amherst |
| Burt | 1/5 | 12 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. CST | 1st National Bank (NE 448 South 13th St.) in Tekamah |
| Burt | 1/7 | 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. CST | City Auditorium (401 N. Oakland Ave.) in Oakland |
| Butler | 1/7 | 1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. CST | Hruska Memorial Public Library (399 5th St.) in David City |
| Cedar | 1/7 | 12 p.m. – 2 p.m. CST | Auditorium (101 N. Broadway) in Hartington |
| Chase | 12/3 | 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. MST | MPCC Ext Campus (1324 Broadway St.) in Imperial |
| Cheyenne | 1/13 | 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. MST | South Platte NRD (551 Parkland Drive) in Sidney |
| Clay | 1/13 | 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. CST | Extension Office (322 Grant Ave.) in Clay Center |
| Colfax | 1/13 | 1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. | Schuyler Golf Club (295 Higgins Drive) in Schuyler |
| Cuming | 1/14 | 1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. | Pizza Ranch (245 S Main St.) in West Point |
| Custer | 1/20 | 12 p.m. – 2 p.m. CST | Mid-Plains Community College (2520 South E St.) in Broken Bow |
| Dawes | 1/8 | 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. MST | Country Kitchen (1250 10th St. W) in Chadron |
| Dixon | 1/7 | 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. CST | Ponca State Park (88090 Spur 26E in Ponca |
| Dodge | 1/12 | 1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. CST | VFW (108 N Main St.) in Hooper |
| Douglas/Sarpy | 1/13 | 12 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. | Papio-Missouri River NRD (901 S. 154 St.) in Omaha |
| Dundy | 12/2 | 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. | Farm Bureau Office (1303 A St.) in Benkelman |
| Franklin | 1/7 | 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. CST | Franklin Country Club (Hwy. 136) in Franklin |
| Frontier | 1/11 | 9:30 a.m. – 11 a.m. CST | Ag Valley Coop (202 W. 2nd St.) in Curtis |
| Furnas | 1/11 | 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. CST | Community Center (722 Patterson St.) in Cambridge |
| Harlan | 1/6 | 12 p.m. – 2 p.m. CST | Johnson Center (509 Main St.) in Alma |
| Hayes | 1/13 | 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. CST | American Legion Hall (73297 Ave. 369) in Hayes Center |
| Hitchcock | 1/14 | 3 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. CST | USDA Service Center (36465 U.S. Hwy 34) in Trenton |
| Holt | 1/6 | 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. CST | UNL Extension Service (128 N. 6th St. Suite 100) in O’Neill |
| Howard | 1/7 | 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. CST | The Gathering Place (612 Howard Ave.) in St. Paul |
| Jefferson | 1/6 | 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. CST | Union Bank (1313 K St.) in Fairbury |
| Johnson | 1/21 | 1:30 p.m. – 3 p.m. CST | Nemaha NRD (62161 US-136) in Tecumseh |
| Kearney | 1/12 | 12 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. CST | USDA Service Center (1005 S Brown Ave.) in Minden |
| Keith | 1/5 | 5:30 p.m. – 8 p.m. MST | ESU 16 Building (3145 W 1st St.) in Ogallala |
| Kimball | 11/17 | 7 a.m. – 11 a.m. MST | Eagles Club (218 S Chestnut St.) in Kimball |
| Knox | 1/13 | 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. CST | Community Center (101 S. Broadway) in Bloomfield |
| Lancaster | 1/28 | 5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m. CST | UNL Extension (444 Cherrycreek Rd.) in Lincoln |
| Lincoln | 1/4 | 5:30 p.m. – 8 p.m. CST | Wallace VFD (118 N Commercial Ave.) in Wallace |
| Lincoln | 1/12 | 5:30 p.m. – 8 p.m. CST | UNL Extension – WCREC Auditorium (348 E State Farm Rd.) in North Platte |
| Logan | 1/7 | 5:30 p.m. – 8 p.m. CST | Community Center (236 Main St.) in Stapleton |
| Madison | 1/5 | 12 p.m. – 3 p.m. CST | Lifelong Learning Center (801 E. Benjamin Ave.) in Norfolk |
| Merrick | 1/20 | 3 p.m – 5 p.m. CST | Merrick Foundation (1530 17th Ave.) in Central City |
| Morrill | 1/12 | 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. MST | USDA Service Center (902 Main St.) in Bridgeport |
| Nuckolls | 1/6 | 12 p.m – 2 p.m. CST | Community Center (333 S. Main St.) in Nelson |
| Pawnee | 1/20 | 1:30 p.m – 3 p.m. CST | Pawnee City Library (735 8th St.) in Pawnee City |
| Perkins | 12/8 | 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. MST | USDA Service Center (927 Central Ave.) in Grant |
| Red Willow | 1/12 | 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. CST | 4-H Building (1412 West 5th St.) in McCook |
| Richardson | 1/12 | 1:30 p.m. – 3 p.m. CST | TBD in Falls City |
| Saunders | 1/12 | 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. CST | Lower Platte North NRD (511 Commercial Park Rd.) in Wahoo |
| Scottsbluff | 1/6 | 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. MST | North Platte NRD (100547 Airport Rd.) in Scottsbluff |
| Seward | 1/7 | 7 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. CST | Cattle National Bank & Trust (104 S 5th St.) in Seward |
| Sheridan | 1/5 | 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. MST | Legion Club (206 Sprague St.) in Rushville |
| Thayer | 1/11 | 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. CST | Statsney Community Center (1350 Dove Rd.) in Hebron |
| Valley | 1/21 | 5:30 p.m. – 7 p.m. CST | Lower Loup NRD (2620 Airport Dr.) in Ord |
| Washington | 1/11 | 12 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. | USDA Service Center (1060 Wilbur St.) in Blair |
| Wayne | 1/13 | 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. CST | The Max (109 Main St.) in Wayne |
| Webster | 1/13 | 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. CST | Community Senior Center (555 W Gage St.) in Blue Hill |
| Wheeler | 1/12 | 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. CST | Fairgrounds in Bartlett |
The CRP informational meetings are made possible through funding from the Nebraska Environmental Trust.
Conservation Reserve Program
The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is a land conservation program administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA). In exchange for a yearly rental payment, farmers enrolled in the program agree to remove environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production and plant species that will improve environmental health and quality. Contracts for land enrolled in CRP are 10-15 years in length. The long-term goal of the program is to re-establish valuable land cover to help improve water quality, prevent soil erosion, and reduce loss of wildlife habitat.
About Pheasants Forever
Pheasants Forever, including its quail conservation division, Quail Forever, is the nation’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to upland habitat conservation. Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever have more than 140,000 members and 700 local chapters across the United States and Canada. Chapters are empowered to determine how 100 percent of their locally raised conservation funds are spent; the only national conservation organization that operates through this truly grassroots structure. Since creation in 1982, Pheasants Forever has spent $577 million on 489,000 habitat projects benefiting over 12 million acres nationwide.
