09/21/05 CRP rental rates and wildlife

Washington Ag September 21, 2005 Benefits to wildlife are part of the calculation for scoring land competing to get into the Conservation Reserve Program. But the rental rate the USDA pays to landowners for CRP reflects primarily the productive value of the soil for crops. Farmer Mark Iksic of Odessa has been involved with the CRP for 20 years and has seen the population of mule deer go from less than 50 prior to CRP to some 400 overwintering now. Bird populations have also increased. Iksic thinks the value of that wildlife should also be reflected in the rental rate. Iksic: "How do you put a value on that? Someway, somehow you need to be able to put an aesthetic value on these farming operations for wildlife. Very simple. I don't know how you do it but it needs to be incorporated. Some of the poorest farmland makes great wildlife habitat." Iksic has seen his CRP rental drop from $50 an acre to $29 to $35 dollars an acre. He says his fixed farm program payments would be higher than CRP rental if he was farming the ground but has chosen not to plow the land out because of the aesthetics and wildlife. Iksic spoke at a meeting the State FSA office held on CRP rental rates in Harrington, one of three conducted in eastern Washington. The State FSA Committee will be making recommendations regarding rental rates to the national office later this year. I'm Bob Hoff.