The real threat to duck populations in the US

[B. Amish]

Just a small quirk that bugs me a tad, but nobody is forcing farmers to put marginal land back into rotation if their CRP contracts are up. A farmer could, by all rights, keep marginal land as is and NOT farm it, even without that government money coming in. I mean, if it truly is marginal, they'd probably just as well let it lay fallow than risk farming it and, at best, only break even.

And its not the permanent wetlands I worry about with tiling. It's the seasonal wetlands that are so important for waterfowl that I worry about. Those small, spring-induced ponds and sloughs that dry up by early summer are key habitat for nesting waterfowl and shorebirds.

with federal crop insurance (all crop insurance is subsidized btw), there is no risk in farming marginal land.

and regarding the seasonal wetlands. most have been dying a slow death since swampbuster started. if you drain a wetland bit by bit over the course of 20 years, it's not as noticeable and eventually you get that annoying wet spot off your FSA map as a FW and you're free to tile away without repercussions.

it's only illegal if you get caught or if it can be proven. guys know how to work the system, they're not dumb. i remeber seeing a youtube video from the ag phd boys - they essentially gave a step by step breakdown on how to trick the NRCS into seeing no wetlands on your property when they do a certified wetland determination.

[creepworm]

Ah the old Hefty boys. I seriously hope that no one ever listens to or watches their show. They are only about selling products, no matter how irresponsible or unprofitable they are to the grower. I once watched their show and they were saying to raise a good wheat crop you needed to make at least 5 different spray applications.

Now, back on topic. There really is not much of a punishment if any for draining a wetland. A guy back home drained a 2 acre wetland, as in ran a tile through it to drain it entirely and farm it. It was about a decade later that the NRCS caught this. The punishment for draining a wetland is all money made from the government programs from the time the wetland is drained is supposed to be returned. This grower should of had to return over $2,000,000 to the government. Instead of the court battle that would have ensued, they forced him to restore the wetland and that was all. So basically, he made money off of draining the wetland, even though he got caught. And it was not a seasonal wetland either.