Farmland Stewardship: The Conservation Reserve Program
325 N 13th Ave, Walla Walla, WA 99362, United States
46.063757
-118.35696000000002
Drive
west of Walla Walla, and you will see miles of grass-covered hills. But
did you know that much of this grassland used to be wheat fields? Since
1985, thousands of acres in Walla Walla County have been enrolled in
the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), a USDA cost-share and rental
program that encourages farmers to prevent soil erosion and improve
wildlife habitat by planting native grasses and ground cover on farmland
with highly-erodible soils.
A sub-program of CRP, known as the
Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP), focuses on restoring
native plants along rivers and streams that flow through agricultural
land. These areas are critical for the recovery of salmon, and CREP
provides important incentives for landowners to participate in the
recovery effort.
Renee Hadley, District Manager of the Walla Walla
County Conservation District will lead us on a tour of some of the land
in Walla Walla County that has been enrolled in CRP and CREP. Along the
way, she will explain how the program works with farmers to meet these
important conservation goals without impairing the productivity of the
county’s farmland. We’ll also meet Jeff Schulke, one of the landowners
who has chosen to participate and hear how he benefit from these
programs.
This is a free event.