“Farmers are a huge partner for the Missouri Department of Conservation,” said Francis Skalicky, media specialist with the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC).
Skalicky explained that these partnerships are must-haves, as 93 percent of the land in Missouri is in private ownership. “And a large part of that percentage is in some type of agriculture production – row crops, grazing land, hay,” Skalicky said.
Because of that statistic, a lot of the land the Missouri Department of Conservation would hope to manage with conservation in mind, in some form of habitat, is owned by farmers.
“We realize farmers have to make a living so we look for common-ground areas to work with farmers on. Areas that will help our fish, forests and wildlife as much as possible, but allow people to make a living on their farm at the same time,” he said.
Skalicky noted that what the MDC may suggest to farmers, ways to manage land with conservation in mind, is just suggestions. The MDC cannot “strong-arm” anyone into using conservation practices, he noted. But, fortunately for the MDC, Skalicky noted, a lot of farmers are very tied to their land not just for its value in making a living, but they also appreciate seeing quail, deer and songbirds, because those creatures are a part of their farm too.
It’s easier than people think to find common ground.
Skalicky noted there are many areas that a farmer can benefit from conservation practices, and not lose out in production at his farm. “One example is a rotational grazing system that uses native grasses. Fescue is established here, it’s an exotic, cool season grass and it’s not going to go away but we encourage people to consider incorporating native grasses like big bluestem and little bluestem. How this works for farming and wildlife is like this: Fescue is at its highest nutritional value in spring and fall. Warm season native grasses are at their highest nutritional value in the summer. So if you go from gazing a cool season grass in the spring to a field of native warm season grasses over the summer and native cool seasons in the fall you can go from high nutrition grass to high nutrition grass to high nutrition grass. Your livestock is getting a heavy diet of high nutrition grasses. From a conservation point of view, native grasses are what birds and other species need for nesting and habitat. Spring and summer nesting and fledging of young – all those processes are allowed to play out to the best of both world situations,” Skalicky said.
The most common programs that allow farmers to incorporate conservation into their farmland include:
1. Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) – offers assistance as cost-share payments and incentives for the cost of implementing certain forest and wildlife habitat management practices.
2. Forest Stewardship Program – comprehensive natural resource program for the management of private forest land.
3. Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) – allows landowners with highly erosive land to establish permanent vegetative cover, such as grass or trees. In return for taking the land out of production, the landowner is paid a certain amount per acre each year.
4. Small Watershed Management (PL-566) – helps landowners within designated watersheds with erosion problems or some type of critical wildlife concern.
5. Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP) – offers assistance as cost-share payments and incentives for the cost of implementing certain forest and wildlife habitat management practices.
There are programs that have cost-share opportunities available, and programs that you can implement that will better the habitat, so you can enjoy the wildlife of your lands. It should be pointed out that most of these programs are administered by state and federal agencies other than the Department of Conservation. However, your nearest Department of Conservation office or contact person will have information about these programs and how landowners can get started with them.
Skalicky said the best way to embark on building a relationship with the MDC is to contact your county’s private land conservationist. “They work with landowners on everything from improving forest habitat to developing a riparian corridor, incorporating native grasses into a grazing program. They work with people who want to manage their land in a conservation-friendly way,” he said.
“The Missouri Department of Conservation realizes that farming is the livelihood of farm operators, and we don’t want to take that away. But, at the same time, we offer things they can do to help the fish, forests and wildlife – and by doing so help their own operation too,” Skalicky noted.
Call the MDC state office, or your nearest MDC Regional Office to determine who your county’s private land conservationist is.
