Reflections on Last Night’s Pheasants Forever Discussion about CRP with USDA Secretary Vilsack

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010

From left to right: U.S. Representative Tim Walz (MN), Dave Nomsen, Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever Vice President of Government Affairs, U.S. Representative Collin Peterson (MN), USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, and Howard Vincent, Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever President & Chief Executive Officer

It’s clearly been a tough winter on the birds.  As I drove home late last night, Orion ‘the Hunter’ shone brightly down on the snow covered landscape and I dodged occasional snow drifts and ice patches.  Earlier that afternoon I’d driven to southern Minnesota for an event and saw several bunches of pheasants, unfortunately crowded near roadsides or along edges of snow-filled covers. 

Last evening, I’d left a room filled with Pheasants Forever chapter leaders and members, farmers and landowners, state and federal agency reps, and other conservation folks.  We’d gathered for an informal discussion with several policymakers from Washington, D.C.  USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack was seated beside House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson and southern Minnesota Congressman Tim Walz.  They listened to various presentations from resource professionals at Ducks Unlimited, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Minnesota’s Board of Water and Soil Resources, and Pheasants Forever, on topics ranging from native prairies and wetlands to CRP. 

Secretary Vilsack reflected back to his election as Iowa’s governor and spoke about how there isn’t really a “manual for incoming Governors,” so when he asked the outgoing Governor for advice, the first thing he heard was “whatever you do, continue the Governor’s Pheasant hunt.”  The Secretary also told us about one of his first Oval Office meetings where the First Lady spoke about the importance of youth and healthy outdoor activities including hunting.  Chairman Peterson told a story of growing up in the ‘good ole days’ of the Soil Bank and that once that program ended and the birds disappeared he vowed to do something about it and he continues to do that today as one of Congress’s staunchest supporters of the CRP.  Congressman Walz and I reflected back to my first meeting with him in Washington, D.C. when his first words to me were ‘I’m a Rooster Booster!” referring to his membership level in Pheasants Forever.

Beyond these pleasantries were solid discussions about the importance of hunting and fishing to rural economies, the vast benefits of CRP, concerns over rental rates and eligibility, and the need for public access.   Specific to CRP, the Secretary reiterated that USDA clearly intends to maintain at, or near, a fully enrolled 32 million acre program.   That’s reassuring to us, as we enter a period of several years with expirations of more than 5 million acres annually.  We’re still waiting for the detailed news about how that will happen.  Check out next week’s National Pheasant Fest in Des Moines where we hope to hear more from the Secretary about continuing CRP’s 25 year legacy.