Active farmer Steve Halverson manages several thousand acres in the White River bottom in Lyman County, South Dakota. The area may likely produce more birds per acre than anywhere else in the State. Steve constantly strives to find the balance for land use among crop rotations, hay, and CRP devoted to grass practices or woody habitat, with the latter helping to maximize bird production and survival.

Steve is first and foremost an active farm producer. He strategically enrolls CRP acres on his wheat and feed grain farm in blocks to maximize bird production and survivability. Several offers to enroll cropland in CRP during the last general CRP sign-up were not accepted. As a result, Steve continues to crop corn, winter wheat, and sorghum in rotation on those acres, leaving adequate wildlife food plots for winter food at his own expense.

Steve continually monitors the conditions of birds and habitat and develops his acreage to improve both. He has seen a large decline in bird numbers in the river bottom and continues to try to solve that puzzle. It may be that his crop areas are so attractive that the birds no longer need to utilize the river bottom as extensively as they once did. Another concern for him is whether or not the birds on his property have enough quality winter cover to survive the harshest of winters in the future.

Hunting provides supplemental income for the Steve's operation. Despite drought conditions, he harvested 1,800 wild birds last season.

Steve's hope is that CRP will continue to play a useful role in his operation in the future.

Clutch of pheasant eggs incubating among CRP cover

Active farmer Steve Halverson strategically enrolls CRP practices on his wheat and feed grain farm to maximize bird production and survivability

CRP Wetland Restoration practice provides habitat for waterfowl.

Combining CRP practices enhances wildlife habitat. Here, Wetland Restoration practice complements Shelterbelt installed between fields and farmstead.