Natural History Wanderings

NPR reports that 1.6 million acres of grasslands, which is about the area of the state of Delaware, were lost this past year. This is a result of land that was removed from the federal Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).  CRP is a federal program that pays farmers to keep land covered with native grasses or sometimes trees. The land that is no longer in program will most likely be converted to agriculture. Farmlands that had been converted into native grasslands has decreased by over 25% in recent years.

The two primary reasons for the decrease in CRP funded grasslands are congressional program funding cuts and increased price of grains. Farmers make considerably more money recently growing corn, soybeans, and wheat.

Lands in CRP program not only result  preserve native flora and fauna but also result in cleaner streams, less fertilizer runoff and more carbon stored in the soil.

Read the full story at:  Grasslands Get Squeezed As Another 1.6 Million Acres Go Into Crops : The Salt : NPR.