Iowa Pheasant 

Recovery SAFE

State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE)

Overview

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

Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Bureau are 

partners in implementing a State Acres for Wildlife 

Enhancement (SAFE) project to enroll agricultural land in 

Iowa’s primary pheasant range counties. The purpose of the 

Iowa Pheasant Recovery SAFE is to restore pheasant habitat 

in Iowa’s core pheasant range. All enrolled contracts will 

provide a habitat block of nesting cover, winter cover and a 

winter grain food plot.

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 Iowa Pheasant Recovery SAFE project is 

to provide habitat for ring-necked pheasant. Ring-necked 

pheasant are important to Iowa because they are an 

economically important species, with an estimated annual 

economic impact exceeding $200 million dollars, and 

populations have declined over 50% from historical levels.

Habitat

Landowners and agricultural producers participating in 

Iowa Pheasant Recovery 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 ring-necked 

pheasant. Offers maybe anywhere from 20 to 160 acres in 

size. All enrolled offers will provide nesting cover, winter 

cover and a winter food plot. Nesting cover must be a 

block of mixed native grasses and wildflowers minimum 

of six species, more diversity is encouraged. Winter cover 

will be a block of switchgrass, minimum 25% of offer not 

to exceed 20 acres. Minimum winter food plot size is 2 

acres with maximum size of 5 acres and plot(s) cannot 

exceed 10% of total contract acres. Shrubs/shelterbelts are 

allowed but not required. After the habitat is established, 

it will need to be maintained and managed by prescribed 

burning, grazing, interseeding or disking on nesting and 

winter habitat acres. When managing nesting cover, a 

diverse native plant community, it is recommended to 

avoid spraying herbicide. Proper habitat establishment, 

maintenance, and management will maximize benefits for 

ring-necked pheasant.

MARCH 2023 IOWA

Female ring-necked pheasants in poor winter habitat. Photo by Iowa 

Department of Nautral Resources.
STATE ACRES FOR WILDLIFE ENHANCEMENT (SAFE) 2

Project Location

The Iowa Pheasant Recovery SAFE project location is Adair, 

Adams, Audubon, Benton, Black Hawk, Boone, Bremer, 

Buchanan, Buena Vista, Butler, Calhoun, Carroll, Cass, Cedar, 

Cerro Gordo, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Clay, Crawford, Dallas, 

Delaware, Dickinson, Dubuque, Emmet, Fayette, Floyd, 

Franklin, Greene, Grundy, Guthrie, Hamilton, Hancock, 

Hardin, Harrison, Henry, Howard, Humboldt, Ida, Iowa, Jasper, 

Jefferson, Johnson, Jones, Keokuk, Kossuth, Linn, Louisa, Lyon, 

Madison, Mahaska, Marshall, Mitchell, Monona, Montgomery, 

Muscatine, O’Brien, Osceola, Palo Alto, Plymouth, Pocahontas, 

Polk, East, Pottawattamie (East), Pottawattamie (West), 

Poweshiek, Sac, Shelby, Sioux, Story, Tama, Taylor, Union, 

Wapello, Washington, Webster, Winnebago, Winneshiek, 

Woodbury, Worth, and Wright counties.

Eligible CRP Practices

This SAFE project uses the following CRP practices:

 CP38E-4D, SAFE Permanent Wildlife Habitat

 CP38E-12, SAFE Wildlife Food Plot

Haying and Grazing

Emergency haying and grazing is not authorized. NonEmergency haying and grazing is authorized according to 

CRP 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 or nearest DNR office: 

iowadnr.gov/crp.

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

Iowa Pheasant Recovery SAFE site, switchgrass, food plot, and nesting habitats. Photo by Iowa Department of Nautral Resources.
STATE ACRES FOR WILDLIFE ENHANCEMENT (SAFE)

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

Iowa Pheasant Recovery SAFE Project Map

MARCH 2023