Acres remain available for enrollment across the country for Conservation Practice 33, the Upland Habitat Buffers practice, a continuous Conservation Reserve Program signup opportunity best-known as the trademark bobwhite quail habitat creation program.
New for the program this year, pivot corners are now eligible for enrollment. There are currently 252,088 bobwhite buffer acres enrolled across the country, leaving 144,382 acres available for enrollment. Another 103,530 Conservation Practice 33 acres on reserve, meaning they will be allocated to states once current allotments are used up. Full enrollment nationwide would total 500,000 acres.
The program is most commonly referred to as “bobwhite buffers” as the purpose of this practice is to reverse the long-term decline of quail and other upland bird populations by providing needed nesting and brood-rearing habitat adjacent to cropland. These important components of quail habitat have declined due to more intense grazing and cropping practices – resulting in the elimination of weedy field borders, abandoned farmsteads and small, recently disturbed areas loved by quail.
Landowners interested in the bobwhite buffers practice can enroll at any time by contacting the Quail Forever or Pheasants Forever
farm bill biologist in their area or by visiting their local
USDA Service Center.
State |
Bobwhite Buffers Available (Acres)* |
Alabama |
521 |
Arkansas |
5,384 |
Colorado |
307 |
Georgia |
1,178 |
Idaho |
1,000 |
Illinois |
8,217 |
Indiana |
9,552 |
Iowa |
20,596 |
Kansas |
30,007 |
Kentucky |
5,865 |
Louisiana |
288 |
Maryland |
7558 |
Michigan |
783 |
Minnesota |
605 |
Mississippi |
1,287 |
Missouri |
17,937 |
Nebraska |
5,971 |
North Carolina |
4,259 |
Ohio |
7,079 |
Oklahoma |
536 |
South Carolina |
3,332 |
South Dakota |
4,990 |
Tennessee |
1,747 |
Texas |
5,258 |
Virginia |
1,649 |
Washington |
4,601 |
Wisconsin |
370 |
*USDA statistics as of February 2015, most recent available