CONSERVATION

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UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

FARM SERVICE AGENCY FACT SHEET January 2015

Conservation Reserve Program: Upland Bird Habitat

OVERVIEW

USDA Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Conservation 

Reserve Program (CRP) is a voluntary program. 

FSA contracts with agricultural producers so that 

environmentally sensitive agricultural land is not 

farmed, but instead used for conservation benefits.

One feature of CRP is designed to create up to 

500,000 acres of habitat for upland and grassland 

dependent birds. Upland birds include the northern 

bobwhite quail, pheasant, prairie chicken, mourning 

dove, wild turkey, finches, sparrows, red-winged 

blackbirds, meadowlark, bobolinks, and other 

species. The common name for this feature is the 

“CRP Habitat Buffer for Upland Birds Initiative,” or 

CP33.

CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM

Participants in the Conservation Reserve Program 

establish long-term, resource-conserving plant 

species, such as approved grasses or trees (known 

as “covers”) to control soil erosion, improve water 

quality and develop wildlife habitat. In return, FSA 

provides participants with rental payments and 

cost-share assistance. Contract duration is between 

10 and 15 years. 

Under “continuous enrollment authority,” land may 

be enrolled in CRP at any time. Certain eligibility 

requirements still apply, but applicants are not 

subject to competitive bidding. 

The Food Security Act of 1985, as amended, 

authorized CRP. The program is also governed by 

regulations published in 7 CFR, part 1410. The 

program is implemented by FSA on behalf of 

USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation. 

HABITAT BUFFER FOR UPLAND BIRDS 

INITIATIVE (CP33) 

The Habitat Buffer for Upland Birds Initiative is 

part of the Conservation Reserve Program designed 

to convert marginally productive cropland along the 

borders of agricultural fields into grass buffers that 

create more habitats for upland birds.

One particular upland bird species that benefits 

from the program is the northern bobwhite, a quail 

species native to farm landscapes and an icon of the 

heritage of hunting. Populations have declined from 

habitat losses and fragmentation due to urbanization, 

modern agricultural practices, and a transition of 

former grassy fields into forests — a process called 

succession. 

BENEFITS

FSA estimates that the “covers” created by the 

program, which helps with nesting and 

brood-rearing, will increase bobwhite numbers 

by over 1 million birds annually. The covers also 

will benefit reptiles, amphibians, aquatic species 

and other upland birds, many of which are under 

consideration for designation as an endangered 

species. Such bird species include the Bell’s vireo, 

orchard oriole, painted bunting, loggerhead shrike, 

sedge wren, grasshopper sparrow, dickcissel, and 

Henslow’s sparrow, among others. Also, the 

vegetation established by this program will reduce 

soil erosion and protect water quality by trapping 

field sediments and nutrients.

ELIGIBILITY

Enrollment is targeted to geographic areas with the 

greatest potential to restore northern bobwhite 

habitat. The applicant must satisfy the basic 

eligibility and cropping history criteria for CRP. To 

determine individual eligibility for the initiative, 

visit www.fsa.usda.gov/conservation or contact your 

local FSA county office at offices.usda.gov.

APPROVED CONSERVATION 

PRACTICE

Participants also must establish the proper 

vegetative species required for the Habitat 

Buffer for Upland Birds Initiative. The vegetation is 

designed to provide food and cover for the upland 
FACT SHEET

CRP: Upland Bird Habitat January 2015

birds. Secondary benefits may include reducing 

soil erosion from wind and water, increasing soil 

and water quality, and protecting and enhancing the 

ecosystem on the farm. Species may include native 

warm-season grass, legumes, wildflowers, forbs, and 

limited shrub and tree plantings, as specified in the 

program participant’s approved USDA conservation 

plan.

PAYMENTS AND OTHER ASSISTANCE

FSA will offer the following types of payments:

• Signing incentive payments of $150 per acre;

• Practice incentive payments of up to 40 percent 

of the eligible establishment cost;

• Annual rental payments for the length of the 

contract and; 

• Cost-share assistance of up to 50 percent of the 

eligible reimbursable practice costs.

In addition, other groups partner with FSA and can 

provide assistance. These groups include the 

National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative, the 

National Bobwhite Technical Committee, the 

Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and its 

member state agencies, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service, Quail Unlimited, Pheasants 

Forever/Quail Forever, Ducks Unlimited, the 

National Wild Turkey Federation, and other 

conservation groups, including local conservation 

districts.

• The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and state 

fish and wildlife agencies are expected to offer 

technical, monitoring and evaluation assistance;

• Quail Unlimited, the National Bobwhite 

Technical Committee, Pheasants Forever/Quail 

Forever, Ducks Unlimited, the National Wild 

Turkey Federation, and other conservation 

groups including local conservation districts 

may provide outreach, technical expertise and 

other assistance as appropriate.

ENROLLING IN THE PROGRAM

Local FSA offices will take offers for the CRP 

“Habitat Buffer for Upland Birds Initiative” on an 

ongoing basis. Eligible land may be enrolled at any 

time. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION

For more information about FSA and its conservation programs, visit www.fsa.usda.gov/conservation, 

or contact your local FSA county office at 

http://offices.usda.gov. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits 

discrimination against its customers, employees, and 

applicants for employment on the bases of race, color, 

national origin, age, disability, sex, gender identity, religion, reprisal, and where applicable, political beliefs, 

marital status, familial or parental status, sexual orientation, or all or part of an individual’s income is derived 

from any public assistance program, or protected 

genetic information in employment or in any program or 

activity conducted or funded by the Department. (Not all 

prohibited bases will apply to all programs and/or employment activities.) Persons with disabilities, who wish 

to file a program complaint, write to the address below 

or if you require alternative means of communication 

for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) please contact USDA’s TARGET Center at 

(202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). Individuals who are 

deaf, hard of hearing, or have speech disabilities and 

wish to file either an EEO or program complaint, please 

contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at 

(800) 877-8339 or (800) 845-6136 (in Spanish). 

If you wish to file a Civil Rights program complaint 

of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form, found online at http://

www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html, or at 

any USDA office, or call (866) 632-9992 to request the 

form. You may also write a letter containing all of the 

information requested in the form. Send your completed 

complaint form or letter by mail to U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Director, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, 

by fax (202) 690-7442 or email at program.intake@

usda.gov. 

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

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