Most of the acreage is devoted to trees.  Although CRP originally was designed to prevent soil erosion, it has been expanded throughout the years to address water quality and wildlife concerns. South Carolina is the top state in the Southeast for installing riparian buffers adjacent to waterbodies through CRP for water quality protection. In 1998 a Longleaf Pine National Priority Area was designated for CRP to protect the Longleaf Pine Ecosystem. In 1994, only 3.4 percent of the original Longleaf Pine forests were still existing. The Longleaf Pine ecosystem involves one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world that includes 36 species of mammals, 86 species of birds, 34 species of amphibians, 38 species of reptiles, 4,500 species of anthropods, and over 1,200 species of plants. In South Carolina, over 25,000 acres of Longleaf pine plantations will be established though the Conservation Reserve Program.

Producers selected for participation in the Conservation Reserve Program receive annual rental payments for a 10 to 15 year period and cost-share assistance to establish the permanent cover. Each year South Carolina Farm Service Agency issues CRP rental payments in excess of $7 million and CRP cost share assistance of approximately $500,000.

But how do landowners feel about the program?

The Bamberg County Farm Service Agency (FSA) Office has a lot of producer participation in conservation programs. In fact, Bamberg County has 15,114 acres in the CRP, 226 acres in the Wetland Reserve Program, and 30 contracts in the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. CED Chris Wallace recently talked to several local CRP producers and asked them what the CRP program means to them. He received some enthusiastic responses.

Buddy Welch of Erhardt has several CRP contracts. He planted 196 acres of longleaf pines on one and created wildlife openings on two other CRP contracts. Welch said, “The wildlife openings are very accessible, and the wildlife love them. It has been worth the effort to establish them, and the financial benefits have also been good.”  He received 50% cost-share to help establish the longleaf pines in addition to his annual rental payments.

In Bamberg, James Layden has a CRP contract with 213 acres of loblolly pines. The population of turkeys and deer on his farm has increased because he established wildlife openings.  Layden signed up his 10-year-old CRP trees in the 19th CRP enrollment. He said, “Allowing CRP trees to be re-enrolled has saved many farmers from going out of business.”

Sonny Zorn of Denmark has reached retirement and is handicapped. In the past few years, he has gone from row crops to pasture to CRP trees. Trees involve much less intensive work and CRP rental payments provide money to pay the taxes on his land. He has planted sawtooth oaks and longleaf pines in addition to opening up wildlife areas. “Turkey, deer, and quail have really taken to the wildlife openings,” Zorn said. “ I want to leave the land in better shape than I found it."  The CRP program has helped him accomplish that goal.

"The CRP has been an invaluable management tool for my wildlife goals at Sunset Farm in Spartanburg County.  It has enabled me to plant 38 food plots each year totaling over 60 acres over 1000 acre farm, thus increasing the carrying capacity of the land for all wildlife.  This is especially important as private landowners have the brunt of responsibility for wildlife management in this state.  With the displacement of wildlife because of large clear-cut areas, the CRP enables the private landowner to improve habitat above its norm by cost sharing the creation of new openings in wooded areas for planting annual planting of existing food plots, and other options.  In my opinion the CRP has done more for wildlife as a whole than any program I have encountered.  For all wildlife and sake, I hope it continues."

John E. Spearman, Jr., a CRP participant from Williamsburg County tells his own story.

Along the Santee River swamp is gently rolling terrain that had been farmed for two hundred+ years.  Red dirt was visible on all of the high spots. Our whole farm qualified for the CRP program.  We (family) were growing soybeans, wheat, rye for seed, corn for grain and sunflowers for confection. We had 100+brood cows for a cow calf operation.  I had three acres of Christmas Trees and had planted a few acres of pine trees in old fields. I was farming and working full time with the Army Reserve.  The CRP program became available and we saw it as an opportunity to take some poor quality fields out of row crop production.  We liked the results immediately.  I received military orders to transfer to California.  I had to either resign my position with the Army Reserve or quit farming.  The CRP program provided me an opportunity to continue farming and to stay on active duty with the Army Reserve.  We signed up all of the row crop land for the CRP program. Next we went to the SC DNR and asked for a Wildlife conservation plan.  Our SC DNR consultant and a SC Forestry Service Representative prepared a plan to balance wildlife habitat and timber production.  In addition to what we were planting in the CRP, we had 400 acres of mature timber. This mature timber amounted to a sizable "investment in the bank" to draw from, as our row crop and cattle income went away during the time necessary to grow the pines.  Then Hurricane Hugo passed directly over our property and destroyed almost all of the mature timber.  The CRP rent payments have allowed us to sustain/maintain the property since Hugo.  The extension of the program has allowed us to continue our intensive management practices.

We have always had a "lot" of deer!  We were one of the early reintroduction sites for wild turkey along the North side of the Santee River.  Turkey populations grew rapidly until Hugo.  They are well on their way to recovery from that disaster.  Now we see more rabbits, birds of prey, and bobcats. Seeing numerous kinds of Hawks and Owls is enjoyable.

There seems to be a problem with quail populations throughout the South East.  We have not been successful in increasing their numbers.  Since I have enjoyed hunting quail more than any other type of hunting, this is a real disappointment to me.

"The CRP has been an invaluable management tool for my wildlife goals at Sunset Farm in Spartanburg County.  It has enabled me to plant 38 food plots each year totaling over 60 acres over 1000 acre farm, thus increasing the carrying capacity of the land for all wildlife.  This is especially important as private landowners have the brunt of responsibility for wildlife management in this state.  With the displacement of wildlife because of large clear-cut areas, the CRP enables the private landowner to improve habitat above its norm by cost sharing the creation of new openings in wooded areas for planting annual planting of existing food plots, and other options.  In my opinion the CRP has done more for wildlife as a whole than any program I have encountered.  For all wildlife and sake, I hope it continues."

What is the progress of the program in McCormick County?

McCormick County suffers from a historical practice of long use of the land with few efforts to maintain fertility.  This practice for many years has polluted the streams and reduced the natural productivity of much of the soil, thus making for a difficult situation for farm families to earn a living farming.  Movement from row crop farming to forestry on marginal agricultural lands has caught on quite well with farmland owners in the county.  The Conservation Reserve Program utilizing riparian forest buffers is an excellent incentive for attracting farmers toward attaining their goals of forestation while at the same time providing a multi-purpose means of protecting our nation’s precious water and soil resources.