WICHITA — More than 7,400 acres of Kansas grasslands have been included in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s program for grasslands conservation.
The Wichita Eagle reports that in the voluntary Grasslands Conservation Reserve Program, grasslands threatened by either development or conversion to row crops are instead maintained as livestock grazing areas. About 200,000 of the more than 300,000 total acres accepted into the program were offered by what the USDA deems small-scale livestock operations. Those operations would have 100 or fewer head of cattle, and can offer up to 200 acres of grasslands per farm. According to a USDA statement, participants can also receive annual payment of up to 75 percent of their land’s grazing value.
The statement says the department has invested more than $29 billion since 2009 to “help producers make conservation improvements.”
