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CREP II falls victim to bad timing this time around Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Agri News staff writer
ST. PAUL -- CREP II in Minnesota fell victim to rising land values and high commodity prices.
Only 8,000 acres total were enrolled from the Red River Watershed in northwestern Minnesota, the Lower Mississippi River Watershed in southeastern Minnesota and the Missouri and Des Moines River Watersheds in southwestern Minnesota. The program's goal was 120,000 acres.
"Obviously we're disappointed," said Kevin Lines, conservation easement section manager at the Board of Water and Soil Resources. "Timing unfortunately was not in our favor."
Lines said there were several reasons why only 8,000 acres were enrolled, but said money was reason No. 1. The conservation payments weren't competitive with rising land values, cash rents and commodity prices.
Program enrollments began in June 2005 and continued through Sept. 20, 2007. CREP is a partnership of the federal Conservation Reserve Program and the state Reinvest In Minnesota program. Land could be enrolled for 45 years or perpetually.
The areas of priority varied within the watersheds, Lines said.
In the southeast, ground water wellhead protection, riparian buffers, flood damage reduction and wetland restoration were priorities. In the southwest, wellhead ground water protection, riparian buffers and wetland restoration were priorities. In the Valley, flood damage reduction, riparian buffers and wetland restoration were priorities.
The response was greatest in southern Minnesota, Lines said.
Mower and Winona counties in southeast Minnesota and Murray County in southwest Minnesota had the greatest number of contracts. Murray County wrote 32 contracts and Mower and Winona each wrote 36.
The 8,000 acres enrolled in CREP will help provide wildlife habit and protect water quality, Lines said.
"Every acre counts," he said. "We all need to do what we can to correct the problems we are experiencing." |
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