Working Lands for Wildlife, A USDA Program to Improve Farm Productivity and Enhance Wildlife Habitat

In the corn belt states, including Illinois, many of the soils devoted to agriculture were formed under tallgrass prairie. These deep, rich soils are highly productive and capable of sustaining intense cultivation. As the name suggests, the vast majority of the farms are planted to continuous row crops, corn and soybeans. The most recent United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Census of Agriculture reveals that Illinois farms are 86 percent row crops, 7 percent forest, 3 percent pasture, 2 percent Conservation Reserve Program grassland and 2 percent small grains. The intensive land use greatly limits acres available solely for wildlife habitat restoration.

Forested land on Illinois farms presents an opportunity to improve productivity and enhance wildlife habitat. Unfortunately, most private forest land is largely unmanaged and suffers from declining quality due to overstocking and invasion of exotic trees and shrubs such as bush honeysuckle and autumn olive. Similarly, Conservation Reserve Program grassland is limited in area and many fields are unmanaged and declining in quality. To summarize, only 9 percent of Illinois farmland is readily available for wildlife habitat restoration. The balance of farmland must support the farm operation, farm owners, operators and their families. In recent years this has been a challenge due to increasing production costs and depressed commodity prices.

In 2010, the Working Lands for Wildlife model was formulated as landowners, wildlife biologists and grazing land conservationists from the Natural Resources Conservation Service cooperated to utilize Farm Bill conservation resources to restore habitat for sage grouse on private rangeland in Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Wyoming. Practices were initiated to remove invading conifers, begin prescribed grazing rotations and restore wet meadows. These practices restored habitat while improving rangeland for grazing cattle.

Between 2021 and 2022, planning teams from around the nation developed large-scale initiatives for wildlife habitat restoration for a variety of species. The northern bobwhite was identified as a species of concern. In Illinois, counties in the west-central and south-central portions of the state were targeted. The plans document habitat deficiencies and provide a list of actions needed to restore habitat and ensure sustainable agricultural production.

The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is the lead agency in implementing the Working Lands for Wildlife Program. Each county in Illinois is served by a NRCS office with conservationists trained in agriculture and plant and animal ecology. Also, partner positions such as Farm Bill Biologists (Pheasants Forever) and Land Conservation Specialists (National Great Rivers Research and Education Center) are positioned at USDA offices across the state to assist NRCS staff in providing technical assistance, with an emphasis on wildlife resource conservation and management. Through a variety of programs, listed below, landowners are provided technical assistance and financial incentives to modify land management practices that improve farm productivity, sustainability and restore wildlife habitat. All programs are voluntary and incentive based.

Environmental Quality Incentive Program

The Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) provides technical and financial assistance to agricultural producers and forest landowners to address a variety of resource concerns including new or improved wildlife habitat. NRCS conservationists perform a site visit and prepare a plan to address issues identified in the plan. The landowner receives cost-sharing dollars to implement the practices. Some examples of practices that improve productivity and enhance wildlife habitat include brush management, rotational grazing and warm season grass establishment in pastures.

Agricultural Conservation Easement Program

The Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) is utilized to preserve wetlands, forests and grassland incapable of being farmed. After a site visit, NRCS conservationists prepare a plan for preserving and managing the land in the easement. The landowner and conservationist develop a lease agreement whereby the landowner receives annual payments for a period time specified in the lease agreement. This program is most often used in rural areas undergoing rapid development adjacent to urban areas.

Conservation Stewardship Program

The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) assists producers in building on conservation programs previously completed. Planning and financial assistance are available to meet goals on the farm. On cropland, financial assistance could be provided to begin planting cover crops, establishing field borders or contour buffer strips. Land retired from crop production would be eligible for rental payments.

Here are a few examples of conservation practices that improve farmland while adding much needed habitat.

• On cropland, field borders and contour buffer strips can be added to retire less productive acres that cut into the producer’s profits, control erosion and provide nest cover for ground-nesting birds. Land rental payments and cost-sharing for planting would be provided.
• Cover crops could be planted to reduce erosion, build soil health, trap nutrients and pesticides and provide foraging habitat for birds and mammals. Cost-sharing for planting cover crops would be provided.
• Pasture productivity may be improved by reducing invasive shrubs, implementing rotational grazing and planting some warm season grasses to add forage in mid-summer when cool season grass quality and growth decreases.
• Forest land cost-shared practices that improve value and restore habitat include exotic shrub control, tree and shrub planting and site preparation for tree planting.

Contact the NRCS office in your county for further details.

References

2022. Working Lands for Wildlife, northern bobwhite, grasslands and savannas. Natural Resources Conservation Service. United States Department of Agriculture.

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John Cole grew up in Bradley (Kankakee County). He graduated from SIU Carbondale with BA in 1968 then served two years in the U.S. Army as medical technologist at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu. After graduating from SIU Carbondale with an MS in 1973 he began to work for the then Illinois Department of Conservation as District Wildlife Biologist, headquartered in Gibson City in east-central Illinois. In 1993, Cole became the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Ag and Grassland program manager in Springfield, working there until his retirement in 2008.