Nebraska Upland 

Wildlife SAFE

State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE)

Overview

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

Game and Parks are partners in implementing a State 

Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) project to enroll 

agricultural land in sixty-nine counties across the state. 

The purpose of the Nebraska Upland Wildlife SAFE is to 

prioritize wildlife and pollinator habitat and to provide 

habitat needs for target species that will also benefit a 

variety of other grassland wildlife.

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 Nebraska Upland Wildlife SAFE project 

is to provide habitat for greater prairie-chicken, northern 

bobwhite, ring-necked pheasant, and sharp-tailed grouse. 

These species are all important to Nebraska because of 

the significant decline of upland game bird populations, 

which has led to an economic impact on hunting in 

Nebraska. A successful SAFE program will assist in 

restoring local populations while increasing participation 

in hunting.

Habitat

Landowners and agricultural producers participating in 

Nebraska Upland Wildlife SAFE are required to develop a 

conservation plan with assistance from the USDA Natural 

Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) or a technical 

service provider. The conservation plan will provide details 

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

prairie-chicken, northern bobwhite, ring-necked pheasant, 

and sharp-tailed grouse. The habitat being established is 

diverse grassland habitat that will provide nesting cover, 

brood-rearing cover, in-field winter food resources (large 

seed forbs), loafing and escape cover, 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 the greater prairiechicken, northern bobwhite, ring-necked pheasant, sharptailed grouse, and other upland game birds and non-game 

grassland birds.

JULY 2023 NEBRASKA

Photo by Nebraska Pheasants Forever
STATE ACRES FOR WILDLIFE ENHANCEMENT (SAFE) 2

Project Location

The Nebraska Upland Wildlife SAFE project location 

includes the following counties: Antelope, Banner, Boone, 

Box Butte, Boyd, Buffalo, Burt, Butler, Cass, Cedar, Chase, 

Cheyenne, Colfax, Cuming, Custer, Dakota, Dawes, Dawson, 

Deuel, Dixon, Dodge, Dundy, Franklin, Frontier, Furnas, 

Gage, Garden, Garfield, Gosper, Greeley, Harlan, Hayes, 

Hitchcock, Holt, Howard, Jefferson, Johnson, Keith, Kimball, 

Knox, Lancaster, Lincoln, Madison, Morrill, Nance, Nemaha, 

Nuckolls, Otoe, Pawnee, Perkins, Pierce, Platte, Red 

Willow, Richardson, Saline, Saunders, Scotts Bluff, Seward, 

Sheridan, Sherman, Sioux, Stanton, Thayer, Thurston, Valley, 

Washington, Wayne, Webster, and Wheeler counties.

Eligible CRP Practices

This SAFE project uses the following CRP practices:

 CP38E-4D, Permanent Wildlife Habitat

 CP38E-12, Wildlife Food Plot.

Haying and Grazing

Haying and grazing is allowed according to CRP emergency 

and non-emergency as defined below:

 Non-emergency haying and grazing is allowed on 

Upland Wildlife Habitat SAFE enrollments according to 

2-CRP, Part 19.

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

Photo by Nebraska Pheasants Forever

 Emergency haying will be allowed on Upland Wildlife 

Habitat SAFE enrollments but will be limited to 

50% of the field. 100% of the field may be hayed 

in the circumstance it is necessary to aid in stand 

establishment. 

 Emergency grazing is allowed on SAFE enrollments 

according to 2-CRP, Part 19.

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.
STATE ACRES FOR WILDLIFE ENHANCEMENT (SAFE)

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

Nebraska Upland Wildlife SAFE Project Map

JULY 2023