Posts Tagged ‘Vilsack’

CRP General Sign-up on Horizon

Wednesday, June 16th, 2010

CRP acres are critical to pheasant flushes like this one

If today’s blog headline grabbed you, then you are undoubtedly aware of the value CRP’s 32 million acres hold in providing habitat for a variety of wildlife species, protecting water quality, enhancing rural economies and creating access for many hunters.  Add CRP’s importance to the quickly approaching September 30th deadline when more than 4.4 million acres of CRP are slated to expire, and the critical nature of our current situation begins to set in.  Consequently, I have been nervously watching for signs of progress leading to the much anticipated CRP sign-up announcement.  Thankfully, I’ve seen many of the signals I’ve been waiting for and the dominos appear to be falling in order. 

First, the official CRP Environmental Impact Statement, or EIS, required by law has been completed.  The EIS clears the way for a new CRP rule, which was a hurdle for the USDA prior to announcing any new general signup.  Second, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced on June 10th that up to $2 billion in funding was being directed into future CRP sign-ups and various Conservation Reserve Enhancement Programs around the country.    The bottom line from this funding news is that we can now expect as many as 4 million acres being accepted during the general sign-up offering period.  Those 4 million acres would be nearly double what might have been taken in without the $2 billion funding announcement. 

We may not have official sign-up details at the moment, but both of these signals point toward CRP sign-up details coming soon.  Stay tuned!

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Posted in Hunting, Outdoors, Pheasants, Pheasants Forever | No Comments »

My Pheasant Fest Top Ten

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

Check out all the details at www.PheasantFest.org

Pheasants Forever’s National Pheasant Fest 2010 kicks off in Des Moines this Friday and runs through 5PM on Sunday evening.  It’s the organization’s biggest stage, and attractions will range in scope from habitat to hunting and bird dogs to art.  Here are the top 10 things I’m excited to check out this weekend at Pheasant Fest.

10. Miss Pheasant Fest.  Miss Iowa will be joining the Iowa Trapper’s Association in their booth at Pheasant Fest on Saturday from 11AM to 5PM.  No, seriously.  Be there.

9. Jared Wiklund’s big break.  I love seeing dreams come true and at 1PM on Friday, our department’s intern gets his big break as emcee of the Bird Dog Parade kicking off Pheasant Fest.

8. Cooking tips.  I enjoy cooking wild game and am looking forward to gaining a few tips from Machine Shed Chef Roger Johnson (Friday at 2PM in Seminar Room 5) and Cheyenne Ridge Signature Lodge Chef Carl Hawkinson (1 hour seminars each of the show’s three days).

7. Missouri Quail & SoDak Roosters.  Two seminars I’ve got my eyes on are Bill White’s (Missouri Department of Conservation) talk on quail habitat and Tommy Kirschenmann’s (South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks) talk about South Dakota pheasant mythology and truths.

6. Ask a Vet.  Stop by the Intervet booth at any time during the show and you’ll be able to get any canine medical answers you need.

5. Speaking of Dogs.  I love bird dogs; particularly my German shorthair pointer from Top Gun Kennels.  I’m looking forward to checking in with Steve Ries of Top Gun Kennels and Native performance dog foods.  I’m also anxious to take in seminars from world renowned trainers and SportDOG prostaffers Tom Dokken and Rick Smith.

4. Blue Dog Debut.  Did I mention that I love bird dogs?  Here’s one more.  The Blue Picardy Spaniel will be making its Pheasant Fest debut during the Bird Dog Parade.  Never heard of a Blue Picardy before?  Me neither.  Wonder if they are really blue?

3. Storm Reports.  In the spirit of Federal’s launch of Prairie Storm, be sure to check out Pheasants Forever’s Facebook fan page throughout Pheasant Fest.  Anthony Hauck and I will be posting “Storm Reports” (Pheasant Fest video reports) throughout the weekend.

2. Big News about CRP?  USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack will be the keynote speaker at the Pheasant Fest noon luncheon on Saturday.  He’s hinted about bringing us some big news about the future of CRP.  Our pheasants, quail, and members are all ears.

1. Seeing good friends.  Pheasants Forever accomplishes our habitat mission because of good people.  I’m most looking forward to catching up with a bunch good people.  Some folks I’ll be making a point of connecting with at Pheasant Fest are:

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Posted in Dogs, Hunting, Outdoors, Pheasant Fest, Pheasants, Pheasants Forever | 2 Comments »