Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)
Broad-based Discussion Group

In 1996, the Kentucky IPM Program and Kentucky Leadership for Agricultural and Environmental Sustainability (KLAES) sponsored the formation of the CRP Broad-based Discussion Group to foster discussion of the CRP and policy issues surrounding the use of land released from the CRP program. A number of diverse groups, including the Environmental Quality Commission, the Kentucky Division of Conservation, Kentucky Woodland Owners Association, the Sierra Club, The Community Farm Alliance, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, and the University of Kentucky Cooperative Education Service, came together to discuss the challenge of promoting sustainable agriculture and land use in harmony with nature.

As a result of meeting together, new channels of communication and cooperation have developed between the groups. The working relationships formed in these meetings will be valuable in the future as issues concerning the environment and conservation of our natural resources grow in importance.

The next CRP Field Day included not only traditional farming topics, but also nontraditional uses of the land including forestry, agroforestry, and using warm season grasses to establish wildlife habitat. Workshop participants were enthusiastic to learn more about nontraditional land use and alternative crops, so it was generally agreed that these demonstrations were a success!

	Original document: 25 November 1996 Last updated: 17 December 1996