Opinions/advice on permanent CREP properties

[Hardwood11]

Bottom line is do what’s best for you and your $$$ situation and don’t be afraid to low ball an offer!

 

[jerad]

Better advice might be to buy a farm and put them into CREP or other easement programs ....than you can buy another farm with the proceeds. These programs are not always available. So it’s not a slam dunk.

Keep in mind the owner got a big chunk from the CREP payment.

This is a great piece of advice. My grandfather put in a crep wetland and it has been great both financially and for recreation. The habitat value is great also. Just this summer it hatched out 6 trumpeter swan chicks and also was home to several sandhill cranes. He was able to make a sizable down payment on a flat black 80 by giving a permanent easement on roughly 60 acres. Basically it was a 1 to 1 trade, except the 60 acres he retired was only 50% tillable.

From a water quality viewpoint the crep site treats a few thousand acres worth of drainage area. The inlet and outlet of the site is monitored and normally it removes enough N to achieve the state standard. So its a win for the people of Iowa also to help clean our waters.