Minnesota Back Forty 

Pheasant Habitat SAFE

State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE)

Overview

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Pheasants 

Forever of Minnesota and the Minnesota Prairie Chicken 

Society are partners in implementing a State Acres for 

Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) project to enroll agricultural 

land within the pheasant and greater prairie chicken range 

of Minnesota. The purpose of the Minnesota Back Forty 

Pheasant Habitat SAFE is to restore grassland and wetland 

habitats to enhance populations of ring-necked pheasants 

and other wildlife species.

Background

SAFE is part of the USDA Conservation Reserve Program 

(CRP). CRP is a federally funded voluntary program that 

contracts with landowners and agricultural producers to 

establish and manage vegetative covers that control soil 

erosion, improve water quality, and provide wildlife habitat. 

SAFE is a unique type of CRP that offers organizations 

the opportunity to partner with the USDA to establish 

habitat for high-priority wildlife species on agricultural 

land. SAFE sponsors work with the USDA to identify the 

wildlife species, the vegetative cover that provides habitat 

for the target species, and the location in the state where 

the habitat is needed. A partnership is formed between the 

SAFE sponsor and the USDA, and federal funds are made 

available to allow for CRP enrollment on eligible land within 

the SAFE project location.

Target Wildlife Species

The goal of the Minnesota Back Forty Pheasant Habitat 

SAFE project is to provide habitat for pheasants, greater 

prairie chicken and other grassland dependent species. 

Pheasants are important to Minnesota because they 

have suffered significant population declines and play an 

important role in the economy as a popular game bird.

Habitat

Landowners and agricultural producers participating in 

Minnesota Back Forty Pheasant Habitat SAFE are required 

to develop a conservation plan with assistance from the 

Natural Resources Conservation Service or a technical 

service provider. The conservation plan will provide details 

on how to plant, establish, and manage habitat for pheasants 

and other grassland wildlife species. The habitat being 

established is diverse grassland and wetland habitat that 

will provide nesting, brood rearing, and winter cover. After 

the habitat is established, it will need to be maintained and 

managed by controlling weeds and either grazing, burning, 

applying herbicide, disking or interseeding to maintain plant 

diversity. Proper habitat establishment, maintenance, and 

management will maximize benefits for pheasants and other 

grassland wildlife species.

JANUARY 2023 MINNESOTA
STATE ACRES FOR WILDLIFE ENHANCEMENT (SAFE) 2

Project Location

The Minnesota Back Forty Pheasant Habitat SAFE project 

location is Anoka, Becker, Benton, Big Stone, Blue Earth, 

Brown, Carver, Chippewa, Chisago, Clay, Cottonwood, 

Dakota, Dodge, Douglas, Faribault, Fillmore, Freeborn, 

Goodhue, Grant, Hennepin, Houston, Isanti, Jackson, 

Kanabec, Kandiyohi, Lac Qui Parle, Le Sueur, Lincoln, Lyon, 

McLeod, Mahnomen, Martin, Meeker, Mille Lacs, Morrison, 

Mower, Murray, Nicollet, Nobles, Norman, Olmsted, 

Otter Tail, Pine, Pipestone, Polk, Pope, Ramsey, Red Lake, 

Redwood, Renville, Rice, Rock, Scott, Sherburne, Sibley, 

Stearns, Steele, Stevens, Swift, Todd, Traverse, Wabasha, 

Waseca, Washington, Watonwan, Wilkin, Winona, Wright, 

and Yellow Medicine counties.

Eligible CRP Practices

This SAFE project uses the following CRP practices:

 CP38E-4D Permanent Wildlife Habitat

 CP38E-12 Wildlife Food Plot

 CP38E-25 Rare and Declining Habitat

Haying and Grazing

Haying and grazing is allowed according to CRP emergency 

and non-emergency policies and as defined in an approved 

conservation plan.

Eligibility Requirements

Because SAFE is part of CRP, certain land and participant 

eligibility rules apply. To begin with, land must be in the 

project area and meet cropping history. CRP participant 

eligibility rules also apply to SAFE.

Payments and Incentives

In exchange for participation in CRP SAFE, the Farm 

Service Agency (FSA) provides participants with annual 

per acre rental payments, cost-share to assist with habitat 

establishment expenses, and in some cases additional 

monetary incentives.

For More Information

This fact sheet is provided for informational purposes only; 

other restrictions or requirements may apply. Consult your 

local FSA office for details. For more information, contact 

your local service center and USDA Farm Service Agency 

office: farmers.gov/service-locator.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. fsa.usda.gov/mn
Lake of

the Woods

Kittson Roseau

Koochiching

Marshall

Beltrami Pennington

Cook

Clearwater

Red Lake

Itasca

Norman Mahnomen

Cass Hubbard

Clay Becker

Wadena Aitkin

Crow Wing

Carlton

Wilkin

Pine Todd

Morrison

Mille

Lacs

Kanabec

Grant Douglas

Traverse Benton

Stevens

Stearns Pope Isanti

Chisago

Big Stone

Sherburne

Swi

Kandiyohi Wright

Anoka

Meeker

Lac qui Parle Hennepin Washing

Chippewa Ramsey

McLeod Carver

Yellow Medicine

Dakota

Renville

Scott

Sibley

Redwood Goodhue Lyon

Le Sueur Rice

Brown

Nicollet

Wabasha

Blue Earth Pipestone Murray Cottonwood Watonwan Waseca Steele Dodge Olmsted Winona

Rock Nobles Jackson Martin Faribault Freeborn Mower Fillmore Houston

West Polk

East Polk

South

Saint

Louis

North

Saint

Louis

West Otter

Tail

East

Otter

Tail

Lake

Lincoln

Legend

FSA County Boundary 

Minnesota Back Forty Pheasant

Washington Habitat SAFE Project Area 

STATE ACRES FOR WILDLIFE ENHANCEMENT (SAFE)

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. fsa.usda.gov/mn

Minnesota Back Forty Pheasant Habitat SAFE Project Map

JANUARY 2023