Contact Information

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
Wildlife Division
Private Lands and Habitat Program
4200 Smith School Road
Austin, TX 78744

hunt@tpwd.texas.gov


 

Farm Bill Provisions for Wildlife Management


Farm Bill Programs

Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)
A voluntary program in which landowners enroll in contracts to take highly erodible and other environmentally sensitive croplands out of production. Also includes a 2 million acre working grasslands program.
Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)
A voluntary program providing financial and technical assistance to producers who practice good stewardship on their agricultural lands.
Continuous Conservation Reserve Program (CCRP)
An incentive program that encourages the development of filter strips, buffers, windbreaks, wildlife habitat, and shelterbelts to reduce soil erosion and water pollution on croplands and along waterways.
Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP)
A voluntary conservation program for farmers and ranchers who install and maintain conservation practices that sustain wildlife habitat, food and fiber production while enhancing soil, water, and related natural resources.
Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program (VPA-HIP)
A voluntary program for landowners wishing to lease their land to TPWD to allow public access for hunting, fishing or other outdoor recreation.

The Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) consists of two parts:

Agricultural Lands Easement (ALE)
A voluntary program that helps farmers and ranchers keep their land in agriculture by providing matching money to qualifying entities such as land trusts which can be used to buy conservation easements on eligible working lands.
Wetlands Reserve Easement (WRE)
Purpose of the program is to restore degraded wetlands on private or tribal property and provide them with long term protection.

Conservation programs eligibility is limited to individuals or entities making less than $900,000/year average adjusted gross income (AGI) from all sources including agriculture for the preceding 3 years. The Secretary of Agriculture can waive the AGI limit for projects on environmentally sensitive land of special significance. These payment limitations do not extend to federally recognized Indian tribes or apply to the VPA-HIP program.