Goodbye CRP?

The only federal program we participate in voluntarily is Conservation Reserve Program, a set-aside where farmers allow prairie grass and flowers to grow, removing invasive species, and doing regular prairie burns. We inherited the land contract when we bought this place. It pays a small amount every year, not enough to cover the costs in time and materials we spend to maintain the fields - but my wife likes the flowers and butterflies they attract, and has become quite the botanist in the last few years.

It might be that CRP will be going away:
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Obama calls for $33 billion cut in farm programs

Posted on September 28, 2011 by Cowboy Byte

 

President Barack Obama’s plan for deficit reduction would cut $33 billion from farm programs, taking a highly disproportionate amount of federal spending reductions from one of its smallest line items and perhaps stymieing Congress’ efforts to write a workable 2012 farm bill.The agriculture proposals outlined included:

•Eliminating the direct payment.
•Reducing federal government assistance to crop insurance companies and farmers Using crop insurance – reductions that would come on top of $12 billion in cuts to that important program since 2008.
•Reducing conservation spending by $2 billion over 10 years.
•Extending until 2016 the SURE disaster assistance program, which has no money allocated to it after this fiscal year.

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Typical Demonrat "spending cut" - find something insignificant in the big picture that will cause the most pain to the people, and then complain if the Republicans say anything negative about it.

We will continue maintaining our fields even if CRP ends. It's a good thing for the wildlife - a resource we may end up tapping ("illegally") if the economy keeps on tanking - and our land is not really amenable to actual crops, economically. We could grow a couple acres of truck farm, for ourselves and a small farm stand, but no "big" crops like corn or soybeans.