Iowa Early Successional 

Quail 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 quail range counties. The purpose of the Iowa 

Early Successional Quail SAFE is to create early successional 

habitat for brood-rearing adjacent to preferred native short 

grass nesting habitat across Iowa’s primary quail range.

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 Early Successional Quail SAFE project 

is to provide habitat for Northern bobwhite quail. Northern 

bobwhite quail are important to Iowa because they are an 

economically significant game species that has suffered a 

96% population decline since 1962. Northern bobwhite 

quail are designated a species of greatest conservation need 

(SGCN) in the Iowa wildlife action plan.

Habitat

Landowners and agricultural producers participating in Iowa 

Early Successional Quail 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 Northern 

bobwhite quail. Offers must be at least 5 acres or larger. 

All offers will provide nesting and early successional 

habitat. Nesting cover must be a mixture of native grasses 

and forbs. Early successional habitat will be created by 

seeding 25% of the offer to annual plants in year one, to 

be left fallow and unharvested for two growing seasons. 

Annuals, usually small grains, are required to be reseeded 

in years 4, 7, and 11 based on contract length. Winter food 

plots, edge feathering, and shrub plantings are allowed 

to enhance benefits, but not required. After the habitat 

is established, it will need to be maintained and managed 

by prescribed burning, spraying, grazing, interseeding or 

disking on the nesting habitat acres. Planting annuals on 

the early successional habitat locations will meet required 

management activities on those acres. Proper habitat 

establishment, maintenance, and management will maximize 

benefits for Northern bobwhite quail.

MARCH 2023 IOWA

Male bobwhite quail. Photo Courtesy Iowa Department of Nautral Resources.
STATE ACRES FOR WILDLIFE ENHANCEMENT (SAFE) 2

Project Location

The Iowa Early Successional Quail SAFE project location is 

Adair, Adams, Appanoose, Audubon, Cass, Cedar, Clarke, 

Crawford, Dallas, Davis, Decatur, Des Moines, Emmet , 

Fayette , Fremont, Guthrie, Harrison, Henry, Iowa, Jasper, 

Jefferson, Johnson, Keokuk, Lee, Louisa, Lucas, Madison, 

Mahaska, Marion, Mills, Monona, Monroe, Montgomery, 

Muscatine, Page, Polk, Pottawattamie, Poweshiek, Ringgold, 

Scott, Shelby, Taylor, Union, Van Buren, Wapello, Warren, 

Washington, Wayne, and Woodbury 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

Emergency and non-emergency haying and grazing are not 

authorized.

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 Early Successional Quail SAFE site, nesting habitat adjacent to brood habitat. Photo Courtesy 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 Early Successional Quail SAFE Project Map

MARCH 2023