(submitted photo/Ducks Unlimited)

By Alice McFarlane

Soil Salinity

DU increases marginal land incentive payment

Mar 11, 2020 | 3:33 PM

Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) wants to help farmers with some of their unproductive land.

DUC announced it’s increasing the Marginal Areas Program (MAP) payment for farmers to seed hard to access and poorly producing areas to perennial forages. Eligible farmers can receive $125 per acre through the program.

DUC’s head of conservation programs in Saskatchewan Trevor Plews said it’s designed for small sections of land.

“This program was developed for producers who aren’t looking to convert an entire quarter to forage, but need help with small fragmented areas in crop margins,” Plews said in a news release. “DUC is paying a premium to seed those areas to perennial cover.”

MAP has been offered since 2017 but the incentive has recently been increased to $125/acre. Plews said DUC had farmer input in modifying the program.

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“There are economies of scale when dealing with fragments of say, five acres. The cost of seeding is proportionately higher,” he said. “Given these concerns we felt the increased price point was warranted.”

Plews said feedback from producers has been favourable and brings repeat customers who are referring new lands to the program.

Roughly 1,000 acres have been seeded to forage under MAP and DUC is looking to add more acres to the program this year.

Along with helping manage salinity issues and other challenges, Plews said perennial cover allows for a suite of environmental benefits, such as improvements to water quality, carbon sequestration, and habitat for wildlife and beneficial insects.

This year’s program also includes a free Pollinator Power Pak which is a mixture of short- and long-lived perennial species that improve the value of the stand specifically for pollinators.

Producers interested in MAP can go to myflexfarm.ca for details or contact their local DUC conservation program specialist to find out if they are in the DUC target areas. Producers can contact DUC Regina at 1-866-252-DUCK (3825) or email du_regina@ducks.ca.

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alice.mcfarlane@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @AliceMcF