FarmlandQDM: That is a great rateper acre, did you plant switch? Thanks.
I'm lucky, even though it floods frequently, I have two very good soil types that really pays a good rental rate, plus this practice has the 20% rental rate bonus. As for what I planted ... I just enrolled it 3 weeks ago ...
You have the option of planting native grass or trees with this practice.
I will be planting about 5 acres of pin oak, swamp white oak, hackberry, shellbark hickory and walnut, 0.25 acre of american plum, and 1.5 acres of sandbar willow this spring. During the summer I will build two flapgate structures to hold the water in after a flood. This fall I will plant about 2000 prairie cordgrass plugs, and then next winter I will frost seed about 25 acres of CIR switchgrass, and virginia wild rye ... if everything goes as planned.
Although CIR switchgrass is awsome bedding for deer, I am not a big fan of it because I have known too many landowners that have planted switch, done everything right with management, and then it starts to fade out after ten years or so. There are several theories out there why this happens but nobody seems to understand the problem. The only reason I am planting it on my property is because it will give me the height I desire early and withstand flooding, but my hope is in time the prairie cordgrass will take over if the switchgrass starts to fade.
If you are interested in the CP23, I would ask about it soon ... there is a limited number of acres alotted for this practice within Iowa and I felt fortunate to get in.