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U.S. Department of Agriculture Unveils Historic, $500 Million
Investment in Wildlife Conservation
Pheasants Forever | 06/27/2023 - Today, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Undersecretary Robert Bonnie announced the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) would invest $500 million in Working Lands for Wildlife initiatives over the next five years. The historic investment will ramp up conservation assistance for farmers, ranchers, private forest owners and tribes within key geographies and species while leveraging the Conservation Reserve Program.
USDA Announces Grassland Conservation Reserve Program
Signup for 2023
WASHINGTON, April 17, 2023 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that agricultural producers and private landowners can begin signing up for the Grassland Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) starting today and running through May 26, 2023. Among CRP enrollment opportunities, Grassland CRP is a unique working lands program, allowing producers and landowners to continue grazing and haying practices while conserving grasslands and promoting plant and animal biodiversity as well as healthier soil.
Reducing Fire Danger in the Cavalier City Park
Cavalier Chronicle. Wednesday, August 24, 2022 - ...Lighting a fire in that forest poses an obvious hazard for the houses nearby. With that in mind we hired Brady Laxdal with Dakota Land Works to go through sections of the trail and clear out small shrubs, brush, and dead fall with his mulcher. This major overhaul lessens fire hazard and clears out the undesirable beaked hazel, giving the oak and aspen trees a chance to grow. This project will be done over a five year period. Continuing routine maintenance ensures a healthy and thriving forest for park users to enjoy for years to come.
North Dakota deer hunters in Unit 2B won't be able to bait for deer
next fall, Game and Fish says
BISMARCK. By Brad Dokken March 03, 2022 11:36 AM – As expected, the North Dakota Game and Fish Department will implement a baiting ban for deer hunters next fall in Unit 2B along the Red River between Grand Forks and south of Fargo after chronic wasting disease was found in a whitetail buck shot in October during the youth deer season near Climax, Minnesota, on the east side of the river.
Cavalier Resident Starts Land Improvement Business
Grand Forks Herald, Written By: Adam Kurtz | 4:19 pm, May 16, 2021 - Brady Laxdal, a teacher and athletic coach, has begun work with his company Dakota Land Works, LLC, near Cavalier, N.D. Laxdal started the company with his wife Kristen, after having worked with the nonprofit business mentorship group SCORE, in Grand Forks. The company offers a number of improvement services from land clearing, to soil conditioning.
Nurturing the Red River Valley for Years to Come
Cavalier Chronicle | May 12, 2021 - It takes nurturing, conditioning, strategizing, and working hard to shape a strong team of athletes. Through the years, Brady Laxdal has coached and nurtured many teams to victory, and he has the endgame in mind: teaching athletes to thrive in life beyond the game.This spring, Brady pivoted into a new business venture, launching Dakota Land Works, LLC, a land maintenance business located near Cavalier, ND. Featuring an impressive line-up of equipment, including a Caterpillar 299D3XE compact track loader with a drum mulching attachment, skeleton grapple, super duty brush mower, soil conditioner, tree puller, and stump grinder, Dakota Land Works can handle any opponent found in nature.
USDA Offers New Forest Management Incentive for
Conservation Reserve Program
WASHINGTON, Jan. 19, 2021 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is making available $12 million for use in making payments to forest landowners with land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) in exchange for their implementing healthy forest management practices. Existing CRP participants can now sign up for the Forest Management Incentive (FMI), which provides financial incentives to landowners with land in CRP to encourage proper tree thinning and other practices.
Available Cost-Share Options through the Prairie Management Toolbox:
Interested in increasing the resiliency and biodiversity of your grasslands?
Through the Red River Valley Prairie Management Toolbox there are cost-share options for:
• 60% Cost-share for grazing infrastructure (perimeter fencing, cross-fencing, and livestock water development)
• 90% Cost-share for invasive woody species removal
• 100% for grassland seeding rejuvenation (small sites prioritized)
For producers and ranchers in Cavalier, Pembina, Ramsey, Walsh, Nelson, Grand Forks, Griggs, Steele, Traill, Barnes, Cass, Lamoure, Ransom, Dickey, Sargent, and Richland Counties Juli Bosmoe, Senior Range Ecologist, at julianna.bosmoe@audubon.org for financial and technical assistance!
Minnesota land owners can find info here: Audubon Minnesota https://mn.audubon.org/
Recreation Trails Program Grant Cycle Opening April 1
Monday, March 14, 2022 - The North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department is opening the Recreation Trails Program (RTP) grant cycle from April 1 – April 29, 2022. The RTP is an 80/20 matching grant program that provides funding for motorized and non-motorized recreational trail projects. This program is administered at the state level through the North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department with guidance from the Recreational Trails Program Advisory Council (RTPAC), and federally through the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
USDA Expands Partnerships for Conservation Through Its
Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program
WASHINGTON, Dec. 20, 2021 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is leveraging its authorities under the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) to bring in new types of partners and ultimately expand opportunities in voluntary conservation for the Nation’s agricultural producers and private landowners. In direct response to feedback from state agencies, Tribes, non-profits and other groups, USDA has updated CREP’s rule regarding matching fund requirements, and invested in additional staff to work directly with partners for streamlined, partner-driven conservation efforts.
USDA Expands and Renews Conservation Reserve Program in Effort to Boost Enrollment and Address Climate Change
WASHINGTON, April 21, 2021 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today that USDA will open enrollment in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) with higher payment rates, new incentives, and a more targeted focus on the program’s role in climate change mitigation. Additionally, USDA is announcing investments in partnerships to increase climate-smart agriculture, including $330 million in 85 Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) projects and $25 million for On-Farm Conservation Innovation Trials. Secretary Vilsack made the announcement today at the White House National Climate Task Force meeting to demonstrate USDA’s commitment to putting American agriculture and forestry at the center of climate-smart solutions to address climate change.