CREP Agreement Signed At Zolman Farms In Pierceton
September 18, 2024 at 6:12 p.m.
PIERCETON – The U.S. Department of Agriculture and Indiana Department of Agriculture signed an agreement for the expansion of the Indiana Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) at Zolman Farms, Pierceton, Wednesday.
Julia Wickard, state executive director for Farm Service Agency (FSA), said the Indiana Conservation partnership is pretty unique in Indiana.
CREP agreements go between 10 and 15 years and provide opportunities for producers to leverage their ideas of what conservation and production can look like hand-in-hand, said Zach Ducheneaux, USDA FSA administrator.
Administered by the FSA, CREP leverages federal and non-federal funds to target specific state, regional or nationally significant conservation concerns, according to the FSA website. In exchange for removing environmentally sensitive land from production and establishing permanent resource conserving plant species, farmers and ranchers are paid an annual rental rate along with other federal and non-federal incentives as specified in each agreement.
Wickard said 63.03 acres of farmland is in the CREP program at Zolman Farms. That acreage includes wetlands.
Ducheneaux said Don and Darcy Zolman, of Zolman Farms, are an agriculture producer and environmental educator in the same household.
Zach Ducheneaux, United States Department of Agriculture director, spoke at the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program agreement signing Wednesday. Photo by Jackie Gorski, Times-Union“My daughter, who is one of my conservation heroes, talks about the need for disturbance in an ecosystem to survive and thrive,” Ducheneaux said. “She reminds me, ‘Disturbance, Dad, not destruction.’ I think we’ve found the balance here because we’ve found the right amount of disturbance.”
Since Ducheneaux has been administrator at the FSA, he wanted to advance the idea money spent by the USDA is an investment in the future that can provide long-term returns if done well.
“If we skimp and save here, we’re going to short-change our future. It’s important to realize this is part of a long-term investment,” he said.
The investments that are made in producers are key. Ducheneaux said part of the work being done in agricultural finance is so producers can conserve land and still have production income left and see themselves as a partner in the program.
Don Lamb, director of the Indiana state Department of Agriculture, said CREP is going to be able to include 34 watersheds and 100,000 acres in the state. Indiana is well-positioned to protect its rivers, streams, floodplains and restore wetlands. The CREP agreement also benefits the wildlife in the area and recreation in the area.
Conversation shouldn’t be thought of as just a cost “of getting it right,” but part of economic development and part of why the state of Indiana is the way it is, Lamb said.
“So CREP can help address the ongoing concern of water that flows down to the Gulf of Mexico, and we’re constantly working on that. Our natural resources are our future and we do have a duty to protect them. Whether we live in the city or small town, we share that responsibility to do what we can for soil and water” and prepare a strong future for the agriculture industry, he said. Farmers and producers are the first and best environmentalists. They work closest with the land and depend on it for their livelihood, so they understand to preserve and conserve the resources.
Darcy said the Zolmans are trying to find a balance between conservation and agriculture production.
Don said its been a lifelong practice of incorporating conservation programs on their farms. Each farm is different, “especially in this area.” Picking the area that is part of the CREP program was ideal because it has probably every type of soil in Kosciusko County, as well as having uplands and lowlands. The woods in the area is great for the wildlife in the area.
“You can see the change in the number of animals and different types starting to show up,” Zolman said.
He said it is a constant balance to do something like this to conserve land and still make a profit from agriculture production.
PIERCETON – The U.S. Department of Agriculture and Indiana Department of Agriculture signed an agreement for the expansion of the Indiana Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) at Zolman Farms, Pierceton, Wednesday.
Julia Wickard, state executive director for Farm Service Agency (FSA), said the Indiana Conservation partnership is pretty unique in Indiana.
CREP agreements go between 10 and 15 years and provide opportunities for producers to leverage their ideas of what conservation and production can look like hand-in-hand, said Zach Ducheneaux, USDA FSA administrator.
Administered by the FSA, CREP leverages federal and non-federal funds to target specific state, regional or nationally significant conservation concerns, according to the FSA website. In exchange for removing environmentally sensitive land from production and establishing permanent resource conserving plant species, farmers and ranchers are paid an annual rental rate along with other federal and non-federal incentives as specified in each agreement.
Wickard said 63.03 acres of farmland is in the CREP program at Zolman Farms. That acreage includes wetlands.
Ducheneaux said Don and Darcy Zolman, of Zolman Farms, are an agriculture producer and environmental educator in the same household.
Zach Ducheneaux, United States Department of Agriculture director, spoke at the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program agreement signing Wednesday. Photo by Jackie Gorski, Times-Union“My daughter, who is one of my conservation heroes, talks about the need for disturbance in an ecosystem to survive and thrive,” Ducheneaux said. “She reminds me, ‘Disturbance, Dad, not destruction.’ I think we’ve found the balance here because we’ve found the right amount of disturbance.”
Since Ducheneaux has been administrator at the FSA, he wanted to advance the idea money spent by the USDA is an investment in the future that can provide long-term returns if done well.
“If we skimp and save here, we’re going to short-change our future. It’s important to realize this is part of a long-term investment,” he said.
The investments that are made in producers are key. Ducheneaux said part of the work being done in agricultural finance is so producers can conserve land and still have production income left and see themselves as a partner in the program.
Don Lamb, director of the Indiana state Department of Agriculture, said CREP is going to be able to include 34 watersheds and 100,000 acres in the state. Indiana is well-positioned to protect its rivers, streams, floodplains and restore wetlands. The CREP agreement also benefits the wildlife in the area and recreation in the area.
Conversation shouldn’t be thought of as just a cost “of getting it right,” but part of economic development and part of why the state of Indiana is the way it is, Lamb said.
“So CREP can help address the ongoing concern of water that flows down to the Gulf of Mexico, and we’re constantly working on that. Our natural resources are our future and we do have a duty to protect them. Whether we live in the city or small town, we share that responsibility to do what we can for soil and water” and prepare a strong future for the agriculture industry, he said. Farmers and producers are the first and best environmentalists. They work closest with the land and depend on it for their livelihood, so they understand to preserve and conserve the resources.
Darcy said the Zolmans are trying to find a balance between conservation and agriculture production.
Don said its been a lifelong practice of incorporating conservation programs on their farms. Each farm is different, “especially in this area.” Picking the area that is part of the CREP program was ideal because it has probably every type of soil in Kosciusko County, as well as having uplands and lowlands. The woods in the area is great for the wildlife in the area.
“You can see the change in the number of animals and different types starting to show up,” Zolman said.
He said it is a constant balance to do something like this to conserve land and still make a profit from agriculture production.