We are thrilled to report that, in one of the quickest legal resolutions we've seen, WELC won a significant victory protecting habitat for wildlife on farmlands by defending the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP).  The CRP is the nation’s largest private lands conservation program.  Under the CRP, USDA pays farmers across the country approximately $1.7 billion annually to establish and maintain perennial cover on about 32 million acres of private farm lands.  Since the CRP was established in the 1985 Farm Bill, it has provided enormous conservation benefits by way of reducing soil erosion, improving water quality, and providing high quality habitat for many species of wildlife.  

In May 2008, the USDA abruptly announced plans to allow haying and grazing on 24 million acres of farmland enrolled in the CRP, without environmental analysis or seeking input from state wildlife agencies.  On behalf of the National Wildlife Federation, WELC stepped in to successfully defend the integrity of the CRP.