12.4 - Consider new incentives for keeping properties with the best wildlife habitat enrolled in the CRP program

Communication with Dave Gagner, Director of Government Relations at the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, provided information on this action item.

Dave Nomsen indicated in an interview that updates for the timing and amount of CRP payment rates are occurring at the state level; however, using CRP to promote other goals, such as increased access, prioritizing enrollment of best habitat, and continuity of large landscapes, has not occurred.

The 2008 Farm Bill directed current policies of the Conservation Reserve Program and provided funds for the Voluntary Public Access Hunter Incentive Program (VPAHIP) popularly known as "Open Fields."