Celebrating 30 Years of Conservation
2016 marked the 30th year for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), a program administered through the Farm Service Agency (FSA) with technical assistance provided by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Ripley County Soil & Water Conservation District. A joint celebration of the anniversary was held on May 25th at Capability Farm in Versailles, IN. Bob & Ellen Mulford, owners of Capability Farms, have transformed their 400 acre row cropped farm into a sanctuary for wildlife and native species. Many of the acres on the farm are enrolled with CRP in various practices.
Many landowners and CRP participants attended the event to learn more information on the programs available and the management that goes along with installing these practices. The benefits of the conservation practices are evident and were showcased during the farm tour portion of the event. Many agency personnel were also present to help celebrate the success of CRP on the farm. Agencies such as Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Soil & Water Conservation Districts, Department of Natural Resources, and US Fish & Wildlife were all present to take part in showcasing the practices installed. Conservation leaders such as Julia Wickard, State Executive Director for FSA, Jane Hardisty, NRCS State Conservationist, and Brad Pfaff, Deputy Director of Farm Programs from Washington DC gave their take on how successful this program has been over the 30 year span.
Kim Jolly, District Coordinator for Ripley County SWCD stated in the morning, “What better way to celebrate CRP than to showcase the practices installed on this land, and what better way to recognize the Indiana Conservation Partnership than to see practices that each agency has helped install.” Capability Farm was created in 2010 when Bob Mulford came into the NRCS office and asked District Conservationist, Tim Schwipps about the CRP program. From that day the Mulford’s have never looked back. They are inspiring other landowners across Indiana to install similar practices to conserve the soil, improve water quality, and protect our wildlife. This farm is truly a model for conservation and the Conservation Reserve Program. A special thank you to Capability Farm, Bob & Ellen Mulford for opening their farm for this celebration.